The Last Hope
by The Food Dude
Summary: In the light of the dying Sovereigns, a prophecy is uttered, hinting of an evil unlike anything ever seen before. With the threat of death at every turn, the entire Multiverse sits in grave danger. Now, four years after they saved their worlds, the Chosen must be summoned once again - ALL the Chosen...only this time, the enemy has gotten to them first. Seasons 1-7 Crossover.
1. Pain, Promise, and Prophecy

**A/N:** _Hi everybody, I'm_ ** _The Food Dude_** _, and this is my first Digimon fanfiction I've ever done, as well as the first story I've ever written to be posted online. This idea's been brewing in my mind for a while, and I hope you guys enjoy it! Before I begin, though, credit needs to be given in some places._

 _I would like to thank_ ** _Zero Unit RGB_** _for inspiring me with the ages of the Chosen from his fic, Children of the Present._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters._

 _Yoshino, Megumi, Miki - 22_

 _Joe - 19_

 _Tai, Sora, Matt, Marcus, Thomas, Mikey, Christopher, Nene, Jeremy - 18_

 _Izzy, Mimi, Angie, Ewan, Tagiru, Ryouma, Ren, Airu, Hideaki - 17_

 _Yolei, Ryo, JP - 16_

 _TK, Kari, Davis, Ken, Takato, Henry, Rika, Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, Takuya, Koji, Zoë, Koichi, Keenan, Kristy - 15_

 _Cody, Tommy - 13_

 _Suzie, Ai, Mako - 10_

 _Anyway, enough of my ramblings. On with the story!_

~X~

 **Chapter 1: Pain, Promise, and Prophecy**

Rage. Death. Darkness. The air continued to choke upon. Deletion, inevitable.

Fires blazing high, tainting the night sky bloody. Screams billowing through the smoke, to be repeated by every throat for miles. Chaos ensuing everywhere, and no one was there to stop it. In the far distance, this was watched.

And mourned for.

"The Digital World will not be able to hold on much longer…" the shadowed figure whispered, "…and neither will the Digimon." He didn't voice the full extent of what was on everyone's minds.

"Dynasmon," another silhouette murmured dejectedly. "We all know it won't just be the Digital World that will be destroyed. The Human World will surely be annihilated as well, not to mention all the other universes existing. The whole Multiverse will be obliterated."

"How has it come to this…?" another asked fearfully. "Where have the Chosen Children gone…?"

"I fear that they have been compromised with, Crusadermon," the Digimon named Dynasmon answered. "They are continuing their lives, oblivious to what has happened around them in both worlds." And here he hesitated.

"But I hear a 'but' coming on," Crusadermon persisted.

"However…they do not seem to be at fault for their…ignorance. Their memories of the Digital World, and the adventures that they had with their partners together…have been erased," Dynasmon finished grimly. There was a collective sharp intake of breath from all the assembled Digimon as the news painfully sank in.

"Impossible…" Crusadermon muttered. "All of them? The twelve Chosen…?"

"Yes." Dynasmon hated telling the truth.

"Even the Tamers?"

Dynasmon nodded slowly.

"The Legendary Warriors?"

Another painful nod.

"The Data Squad?"

A nod.

"Even the…Fusion Fighters? And Hunters?"

Dynasmon nodded again, face grim as Craniamon asked, "But there are Chosen all over the world… Even they…?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the question.

"Yes…even them, Craniamon," Dynasmon said. "I hate to be the bearer of such…painful news, but if we are to look for a brighter future in the Multiverse, we must take the knowledge we are given and make a plan of action."

"But there may already _be_ a plan of action to take," a voice said behind them.

And that's when a humanoid figure walked to the front of the group. And took off his hood for everyone to see his familiar face.

"Gennai!" everyone gasped, and started talking over one another.

"Where were you?"

"How did you get here?"

"Did you hear about all the Chosen?"

Gennai simply put a hand up to silence them. "Royal Knights," he began, "indeed, I have heard about the Chosens'…condition. I had just gone to see the four Sovereigns. The news I bring you may be just as excruciating as the news about the Chosen. The Sovereigns…they are dying." This time, no one gasped or made a noise of surprise. All you could see was the grief on their faces, saying their thoughts clearer than any words could have: _No, no, no… How?_

As if reading their faces, Gennai replied, "They were injured while trying to fight our…" Gennai glanced at the bloody horizon where cries could still be heard, "…gravest enemy yet. They have retreated to Dream Cave. I have come to you because they have asked for your presence. It seems they would like to give their…final words."

All the Royal Knights looked at one another, their faces all reflecting the same expression: grief, and somewhat confusion. Why would the Sovereigns call on them? Seeing as what the Sovereigns wanted with them had to be important, grim-faced, they all nodded at Gennai, who simply turned around and led them on toward Dream Cave. The Royal Knights followed suit.

Not one of them looked back at the battle. Even when they couldn't hear the cries anymore. Because there would be nothing to look back at.

* * *

Agumon hated being cooped up. He hated being away from Tai even more. The little cell barely had any room for him to stand, let alone walk. The interior walls of the it were composed of black metal bars, so he could look and see his friends in the other cells, as well as other Digimon he didn't know. But that didn't help him find a way to get out of this thing.

 _Tai will come, I know he will!_ He, along with the other Digimon, were in a room…or Agumon couldn't really call it a room because it was mostly a hallway, with row upon row of cells on either side. Not just rows, _rows on top of rows_ , there were so many Digimon! _Do all of them have partners, like I do?_ Agumon thought sadly. _Are all of them waiting for their partners to come and rescue them…like I am?_

The thing was, he didn't actually _know_ what had happened to Tai. He could only remember those last moments he had had with him—the sacrifice Tai had made, and the promise that came with it. Everything after that was all a blur…but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was all his fault.

 _ **"Agumon Warp Digivolve to…WARGREYMON!"**_

 _WarGreymon looked to his side to find Gabumon warp digivolving to MetalGarurumon. Tai and Matt nodded to each other as they raised their Digivices to their respective Digimon._

" _Let's go, WarGreymon!"_

" _You know what to do, MetalGarurumon!"_

 _A shining light enveloped the two Digimon. The light of digivolution._

 _ **"WarGreymon + MetalGarurumon! DNA Digivolve to…OMNIMON!"**_

 _In his merged form with MetalGarurumon, WarGreymon heard the laugh escape from the mouth of their enemy—before he could see the enemy itself. Omnimon drew his Omni Sword…but there was nowhere to hit, no target to aim at. He was barely aware of his friends digivolving and trying to help them. All he was focused on was the darkness surrounding them. And the laugh that seemed to come from within it._

 _ **"Biyomon Digivolve to…Birdramon! Birdramon Digivolve to…GARUDAMON!"**_

 _ **"Tentomon Digivolve to…Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon Digivolve to…MEGAKABUTERIMON!"**_

 _ **"Palmon Digivolve to…Togemon! Togemon Digivolve to…LILLYMON!"**_

 _ **"Gomamon Digivolve to…Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon Digivolve to…ZUDOMON!"**_

" _Don't forget us!" a voice that was unmistakably Davis's shouted, as he held out his D-3. "Let's do this, Veemon!" He cast a look at Ken, who simply nodded, holding his own D-3._

 _ **"Veemon Digivolve to…EXVEEMON!"**_

 _ **"Wormmon Digivolve to…STINGMON!"**_

 _A blinding light encased the two Champion levels._

 _ **"ExVeemon + Stingmon! DNA Digivolve to…Paildramon! Paildramon Mega Digivolve to…IMPERIALDRAMON!"**_

" _Us too," said TK. "Let's go, Patamon! Cody?" He looked at the younger boy, who slightly hesitated. He looked at TK, and then Kari, before finally settling his eyes on Yolei._

" _If we're fighting against darkness," he said slowly, but his words had a certain firmness to it, "your Ultimate level Digimon are better suited to fighting against darkness since they_ are _Angels." He looked to Yolei for support._

 _She got the message. "Y-Yes!" She tried again. "Yes, it_ would _work better with your original Ultimate forms!"_

 _Kari still looked unsure, until Yolei took both her hands and rested them on each of Kari's shoulders. "Listen to me. If you're worried about us…" She glanced at Hawkmon and Armadillomon. "…then don't be. Because we'll be right beside you. Right, Hawkmon?" The bird-type Digimon nodded. Kari looked like she was about to say something, when Yolei shoved her forward. "Now GO!" Kari nodded resolutely. "You're right," she said with a grin._

" _Alright, Gatomon!" she yelled, just as TK called, "You know what to do, Patamon!"_

 _ **"Patamon Digivolve to…Angemon! Angemon Digivolve to…MAGNAANGEMON!"**_

 _ **"Gatomon Digivolve to…ANGEWOMON!"**_

 _ **"Hawkmon Digivolve to…AQUILAMON!"**_

 _ **"Armadillomon Digivolve to…ANKYLOMON!"**_

 _Meanwhile, in the heart of the battle, Omnimon was struggling._ How do I attack an enemy that I can't see? _Or rather, he_ could _see it, he just couldn't touch it. Every time his sword hit the dark form surrounding them all, it just went wispy, and his sword past right through it. It was the same case for the others._

" _What's happening?" asked Tai, who saw everyone's struggle at giving a blow to the darkness. "Their attacks pass right through it! What…_ is _'it' exactly?" All eyes turned to Izzy, whose eyes were already furrowed in concentration._

" _It doesn't seem to be a matter of it having the ability to let all objects pass through it. It simply is intangible." Seeing the looks of confusion on some people's faces, he continued. "It seems that the…_ thing… _we are fighting is true darkness. That's not something you can simply touch. In fact…I wouldn't even know if it has a life force."_

" _Oh, it's very much alive!" Omnimon shouted from above them all where he was still struggling with his Omni Sword. He had been listening to the entire conversation. "Can't you hear it? Or rather…can't you_ feel _it? It's just_ there _...and it is very much alive."_

 _Everyone paused to contemplate this for a moment. Omnimon switched his focus to the darkness again. He was about to swing his sword again when a wisp of the darkness—void of any colour—swept around him like a hand and started squeezing. It felt very much solid as the darkness squeezed harder. Omnimon cried out._

" _Omnimon!" Tai and Matt both yelled in concern._

" _Imperialdramon, help them!" Davis shouted. "Not like that," Ken said quietly. He looked to Davis. "If the darkness can bring down Omnimon so easily, Imperialdramon has to switch to Fighter Mode." As if hearing him, Imperialdramon started to glow._

 _ **"Imperialdramon! Mode Change! FIGHTER MODE!"**_

" _MagnaAngemon!"_

" _Angewomon!"_

 _TK and Kari were both yelling to be heard over the chaos. Omnimon was still being crushed. "GO!" They both looked at Davis and Ken. "Angewomon and Imperialdramon will attack him on both sides to try and free Omnimon," TK explained. "Meanwhile MagnaAngemon will open his Gate of Destiny. Since the darkness is such a big…being, though, it will take some time for him to open a large enough Gate. And then all the Digimon will push him…um, it…through."_

 _Davis nodded in agreement, before Ken spoke up. "Is that even possible?" he asked skeptically, his eyes looking to the three of them, but especially lingering on Kari as if they shared some common knowledge. "Izzy said it's…intangible. Will the Digimon be able to push it through?"_

 _TK replied, shaking his head, "There doesn't seem to be anything better for us to do," at the same time Davis said, "Well, it's obviously shown that it_ can _be solid when it wants to be. Then that means we can push it when_ we _want to, too!" He looked at all the Digimon looking at him. "Well, what are you all staring at? GO!"_

" _Who died and made you leader?" Tai asked dryly. A light laugh escaped everyone. A small one, and feeble at that, but a laugh. They needed one._

 _As one, the Digimon attacked. Imperialdramon Fighter Mode and Angewomon attacked the darkness surrounding Omnimon while the rest of the Digimon attacked the darkness itself._

" _Wing Blade!"_

" _Horn Buster!"_

" _Flower Cannon!"_

" _Vulcan's Hammer!"_

" _Blast Rings!"_

" _Tail Hammer!"_

 _Meanwhile, Imperialdramon Fighter Mode and Angewomon braced themselves on either side of Omnimon, where they found the source of the strands of darkness. They both attacked as one._

" _Positron Laser!"_

" _Celestial Arrow!"_

 _The two attacks passed right through the darkness. In fact, all the Digimon's attacks passed right through the darkness. At the same time, MagnaAngemon readied his own attack._

" _This isn't working," Matt said. "At this rate, if what Omnimon says about it being alive is true, then the darkness may choose to get them all. We should just focus on freeing Omnimon and escaping while we still can."_

" _Uh…escape to where, exactly?" Mimi asked. "Did anyone else notice that we're…surrounded?"_

" _Has the darkness surrounded us this entire time?" Joe suddenly mused nervously. "If so, then that means we all fell right into its trap…"_

 _As if hearing their brief exchange, the darkness suddenly seemed to grow wispy arms and wrapped them around all the attacking Digimon and squeezed. All the Digimon started screaming in pain as their respective partners called out to them._

 _From the dull haze of pain, Omnimon could feel that it wasn't just the darkness physically crushing his body. He could feel that dim laugh, pressing against his very_ mind _. It didn't really affect him, but it was still there. Dull, but persistent. Eventually, he heard it getting_ _louder and louder…until he was pretty sure everyone could hear it._

" _What is that…?" Sora whispered, voicing everyone's thoughts. Then they could hear the laugh again, monotonous and horrific, getting louder and louder, until they all realized that they weren't_ hearing _it, they were_ feeling _it, that whatever it was that was speaking was inside their minds. Surrounding them. Everywhere. And then it spoke._

 **"What am I, you ask?"** _Its voice seemed to be coming from millions of mouths at once to sound like one unanimous voice, dull, persistent._ **"I a** **m what you all think I am. I am Darkness itself. I have always been with you. Some stronger than others. Some I have even managed to root myself in."**

 _At his words, Omnimon glanced down, which was agonizing since the darkness was squeezing him so hard. He saw Matt stiffen slightly, Sora turn pale, Kari cringe, and Ken bristle._

 _Then Davis spoke, his voice hot and firm despite the mental pressure against his and everyone's minds. "So you got the_ _better of them…once! Then they came back, and fought it—you—off, and have become stronger because of it."_

 _Tai took up the flag next. "That's right! And even if they had fallen, they always had their friends to pick them back up!" Davis nodded enthusiastically._

 _"It doesn't matter how big you've gotten or what your name is," he growled. "So maybe you're stronger than what you were before—"_ What _was_ he before? _thought Omnimon. "—but that doesn't mean you're the only one!_ All _of_ us _have gotten stronger, because of our Digimon, and we're not about to let another enemy crush them!"_

 _The Darkness went quiet for a moment, before laughing again, this time even louder. Omnimon was beginning to hate its laugh._ **"** **So tell me, how do you plan on winning? All your friends seem to be getting a little trampled by my slight squeeze. If I want to destroy them, I can easily do so right now. So I will give you a choice: surrender now, and your friends may live longer, or continue fighting, and they will inevitably be killed right in front of you."**

"' _May live longer'?" Cody repeated. "Does it mean to only delay the time when…?" He didn't finish the sentence._

" _Well, then if that's the case, we can't surrender!" Davis fumed. "We've got to—"_

" _Davis!" Matt shouted, silencing him and stunning everyone. "Don't you see that if we don't surrender, all our Digimon will die right now? At least by surrendering they have a chance at living a little longer so we have more time to think of a plan."_

 _Omnimon saw the blond shake a little as he said it, and WarGreymon felt (and heard) WereGarurumon whisper "Matt..." through their fusion together._

 _Tai nodded in agreement. "Matt's right on this one, Davis. We can't let the Darkness…" he hesitated slightly. "…Through all our adventures together, the Digimon have always protected us. And now their lives are on the line for us to decide. We may as well_ try _to give back the favour. And it's not like we really_ are _surrendering. We're just putting our fight off on short notice before we can think of a better plan."_

 _Everyone was nodding their agreement. Eventually even Davis nodded. "Alright…I see what you mean. I wouldn't want anything to happen to Veemon (Imperialdramon in this case)…It's just that I hate not knowing what he…um, it…will do to them after. What if it backs up on its promise?"_

 _Everyone started looking uneasy, until TK spoke up. "And that's why we have to hope. We've always put our hopes in our Digimon, which is why we have to keep on doing it…even until the end."_

 _Tai then turned around to face the bottomless void. "Alright…um, Darkness! We surrender! And we expect you to honour the other end of the bargain!" The Darkness remained silent for a while once again._

 **"So be it, then. I shall spare their lives a little longer."** _And with that, the black wisps faded from around the Digimon. The Digimon started going/flying back to their partners, but before they reached them, a huge black wisp shaped like a hand smacked them all to the side and kept them contained. The constant crushing and mental pressure caused them all to De-Digivolve to their Rookie forms. Agumon was aware of Tai staring at him in horror as the blackness continued to surround him, containing him, keeping him away from his partner._

" _You said you'd keep them alive!" Yolei yelled at the same time Davis shouted, "I knew it! That…_ thing _is backing up on its promise! I never did trust—" He was cut off by the horrific laughter again._

" _Is anyone else getting tired of that thing's laugh?" Matt asked exasperatedly. But then the Darkness spoke, silencing them all with his next words._

 **"If I may recall, I said that if you surrendered, your friends may be kept alive a little longer. And that is exactly what I am doing. I am putting them out of harm's way."**

" _Harm's way?" Izzy echoed. He seemed to be_ _hating what he suspected._

 **"Yes, and if I look back again, I also recall not specifying what I would do to** _ **you**_ **."**

 _Its words were met by silence as everyone realized the mess they had fallen into. With no way out. "Well, fine then," Davis spoke again, and everyone was surprised to see no tremor in his voice. "Try and kill us if you want. That'll—" He broke off as the Darkness cackled (once again). "You know you should really learn to…" Davis began before Ken put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head._

 **"I never said I would kill you either. After all, some of you have already proven that you make good slaves."** _Its words were met by thick tension._ **"** **If you see it this way, I am being merciful with you. I shall send you back to your world without a trace of memory of what you have seen here, as well as your original adventures you had together. You will not remember a thing about your Digimon, or the Digital World. It allows me the time to work without disruption, and you and your fellow Chosen have a little more time to live in freedom."**

" _Fellow Chosen?" Izzy asked. "Like the ones around the world?" at the same time Tai said, "As if we could ever forget our Digimon. Do what you want with us, it won't stop us from remembering."_

 **"We shall see about that. And if you somehow manage to come back, even accidentally, I will not hesitate to kill you in any way. But for now…"** _The twelve Chosen suddenly felt rooted to the spot, unable to move their arms or legs, only able to move their eyes and mouth._

 **"** **This won't hurt. For long, anyway."** _Silvery strands of light suddenly started forming and concentrating in one place, right in front of the Chosen, while the Digimon stayed off to the side uselessly, still hemmed in by the darkness as they called out to their partners. The silvery light abruptly stopped concentrating, and stayed there, glowing in place._

 **"Now, before I do this, are there any final words you would like to say to your partners before you forget about them forever?"**

 _As if in response, Tai's gaze rested on Agumon. "I believe I speak for everyone when I say this, so listen closely. I will_ never _be able to forget my partner...And I never will. That's a promise, Agumon." Everyone else's eyes seemed to say the same thing to their own respective partners._

 **"We have yet to see you fulfill your promise. You should brace yourselves for it. A quick sting to the mind, and we're done, you'll be back in your world. And I will also be taking these before you go."** _Like hands, dark wisps held out all twelve respective Digivices and D-3's._ How did it get them…? _Agumon thought, before realizing,_ This is its domain. We probably are _in_ it for all we know. Of course it has control over everything. **"** **You are about to witness Darkness's special attack. You should feel honoured."**

 _The silvery light suddenly got brighter and brighter, until it was so blinding Agumon had to look away._

 **"FINAL MEMORY!"**

 _The light finally exploded in a blinding white light as the Chosen were engulfed in the it. Agumon could still hear their screams of pain. "Tai!" he finally managed to squint at the light and yell his partner's name._

 _By the time the light faded away, the Chosen were gone, leaving their Digivices, D-3's, and partners behind._

Tai…

…Keep your promise…

 _The rest was a blur as Agumon's world faded to black._

* * *

Gennai led the Royal Knights to Dream Cave. It would seem to be a tunnel at first, steeping sharply downward for quite a while before coming to a stop in a huge cavern emitting an eerie glow. There, they found the four Digimon Sovereigns, Azulongmon, Baihumon, Ebonwumon, and Zhuqiaomon.

And they were dying.

The Royal Knights were shocked at seeing the four most powerful Digimon dying, right before their eyes. They could see the little gold specks coming off them as they slowly faded. At first the Knights just stood at the entrance to the cavern, all too stunned to move, before Azulongmon summoned them:

"Come closer, Royal Knights. It would be best for you to remember our last words before…we take our leave." Nodding stiffly, they all followed suit, Gennai in the lead. As they stood right before them, Gennai asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

"How long do you have?" he asked quietly, but humbly.

"Half an hour, at most," replied Ebonwumon, "which is why we must get to the topic at hand immediately."

"Why? What is it that is so important?" Leapordmon asked. He, as well as the others, knew they were in for something truly significant, but just _what_ , was beyond them all.

"Do you know why it is called Dream Cave?" asked Zhuqiaomon, "It is not just your presence we seek. We are currently contacting the Chosen. _All_ the Chosen."

"What do you mean, _all_ the Chosen?" Omnimon asked, clearly aware that Zhuqiaomon had not answered the question.

"Every Chosen that was involved in saving their universe," Baihumon answered. "In our case the original twelve Chosen, the ten Tamers, the six Legendary Warriors, the seven Data Squad members, the six Fusion Fighters, and five Hunters."

"That makes 46 Chosen in all…but what about the other Chosen around the world?" UlforceVeedramon asked.

"It is these 46 Chosen we are focused on…because there is a prophecy about them, to be said with our final breath…" Azulongmon whispered weakly. "They must work together to stop the threat that has not only posed itself in the Digital World, but will pose a threat to their world as well, in fact, the whole Multiverse."

Everyone paused to let the news sink in. Then Gallantmon spoke up. "But all those Chosen…they come from different universes…how shall they meet? We would need a Clockmon at the very least…"

Baihumon answered, "That is not necessary. It seems that our enemy has taken the liberty to make his work easier…by combining all universes into one. That would include the Digital World as well. As originally, each group of Chosen had a...version, you could say, of the Digital World that they are familiar with, each in their respective universes. Each of us, the Sovereigns, looked over one group of Chosen, to determine whether or not they would be the ones from the Great Prophecy. So Azulongmon watched over the original twelve, Zhuqiaomon the Tamers, Ebonwumon the Legenadary Warriors, and I, Baihumon, the Data Squad."

"What about the Fusion Fighters and Hunters?" Magnamon checked.

"During times of need, the Fusion Fighters had the assistance of DigiCards of the Legendary Digimon," Zhuqiaomon supplied. "The Red General himself was chosen by the leader of them all, Omnimon. A different Omnimon, of course," he noted as he glanced at the Royal Knight. "The Legendary Digimon are the ones that have been watching over the Fusion Fighters and Hunters, even though not physically there. They have been close friends with us, the Sovereigns. Indeed, at some point, each Sovereign or Legendary Digimon has gone to the other universes to check who the other supposed Children of the Prophecy were. And now, we have narrowed it down to these forty-six."

"And with all the universes formed as one," Gennai mused. "That gives a much higher chance of all 46 Chosen meeting in their own world. Only…"

Dynasmon finished grimly. "Only they would not remember who or what they are or once were. Their memories have been erased."

"Which is why we are going to call all of them to this cave through their sleep," confirmed Ebonwumon. "Hence the name, Dream Cave."

"How do you call them in their sleep?" asked UlforceVeedramon.

"Their bodies will not be here physically, but their mental presence will," Azulongmon said. Then, all four Sovereigns' bodies started glowing as one, and only then did Gennai and the Royal Knights notice a shaft of moonlight cut the eerie light, as slowly, they noticed translucent forms of all 46 Chosen appear from that shaft of light. They did not seem to notice each other, their eyes staring vacantly ahead.

Suddenly, the Sovereigns' bodies started flickering slightly, more gold specks coming off them at an alarming rate. "We do not have much time," Azulongmon whispered. "The Prophecy…" Abruptly, all of the Sovereigns' eyes went milky white, and a voice spoke out of them, a voice that was not theirs.

They all chanted:

 _"Forty-six Chosen shall answer the call,_

 _To light or to darkness the worlds shall all fall._

 _Dragons of fire shall go lead the charge,_

 _Seven Gifts of Dauntless unite at large._

 _Knights of water shall go tame the fire,_

 _Six Gifts of Reason as one defeat the Liar._

 _When the worlds are in disorder, and all are at wit's end,_

 _Seven Gifts of Sage shall rise and make amends._

 _At hammer's last strike, when war's spark has been ignited,_

 _Eight Gifts of Forge shall search 'til knowledge has alighted._

 _Guardians of steel shall bear arms on foe's field,_

 _Eight Gifts of Stalwart shall hold fast 'neath the Shield._

 _Seven Gifts of Life shall heal the Mistaken,_

 _At Friends' last breaths, the Phoenix shall awaken._

 _When the worlds have all fallen and the end is quite near,_

 _With Three Gifts of Freedom, the Unicorn shall appear._

 _And though it may seem that risk and pain are put to no avail,_

 _Let everyone believe in miracles,_

 _And the Worlds' Last Hope shall prevail."_

With those final words, the colour returned to the Sovereigns' eyes, and all the Chosens' translucent spirits faded away, but the Sovereigns seemed to be fading even faster. "Royal Knights," Azulongmon gasped. "Come closer."

They all rushed to comply, standing in a loose circle around all four Sovereigns rapidly vanishing before their eyes. "There is something…you must…know…" Baihumon wheezed between breaths. "There is sti…still a chance…the Chosen can re…member…"

"What is it?" the Royal Knights all asked at once. They were all aware of Gennai standing a few feet behind them, watching and listening intently.

"You must…get their…partners back…" Ebonwumon whispered. "…but it may cost you...your lives…"

The Royal Knights all nodded, already in decision. They had risked their lives countless times for the sake of the Digital World; of course they wouldn't hesitate to do so again, if not for the sake of the whole Multiverse.

"Blackmont Castle…" Zhuqiaomon stuttered between words. "Portal to human world…Digimon captured…send them…"

"Of course," Omnimon vowed, "and I speak for all of us. And if I may add, we will also look after your Digieggs upon your…departure."

"No," the Knights all jerked in surprise when Gennai spoke up, having come up from behind them. His eyes were moist and glistening. "I don't believe there will be any Digieggs, will there?"

The Sovereigns all shook their heads sadly. "No," said Azulongmon. "There will not."

Gennai's face darkened. "Whatever darkness is out there…it can delete the very data of Digimon. The path we will tread will be a dangerous one. But if it will help those Children…"

"…then it must be done," the Royal Knights finished. They were all aware that the Chosens' path would be even more dangerous.

"One last thing…" Azulongmon whispered. With a shining burst of light, a million shining orbs floated above them all.

"Your DigiCores…? All of them…" Crusadermon asked.

"They must be given to the Chosen," Baihumon said. "So that the Digimon…Digivolve to Ultimate...and Mega…and four…Biomerge…Legendary Warriors...Fusion Evolution...Fusion Fighters...Grand Fusion...and so…a miracle can happen…"

And as they all gazed at the Sovereigns, they knew their time was finally up. Everyone's head bowed low in mourning.

"Good luck, Royal Knights…" Azulongmon murmured. "The Digimon…and Chosen…need you…"

And with that, the last of the Sovereigns' remains exploded in a shower of golden dust, slowly fading away to nothing.

Sure enough, there were no Digieggs to collect.

After collecting all the DigiCores in a small cubical container, the Royal Knights and Gennai all filed wordlessly out of the cave back into the black and bloodstained sky, where the cries of fighting were still a dull echo in one's ear.

But all anyone could think about was that they couldn't fail.

It wouldn't matter that they could be deleted in the process. It mattered that they had to do it in one shot. Because the Multiverse didn't have the time—or power—for a second chance.

* * *

 _Whoa, so none of the Chosen remember the Digital World? Or their Digimon? So what are they doing in the Real World right now? And what's with the Prophecy the Sovereigns said? And what's Blackmont Castle? You'll just have to read the next chapter to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Yes, the beginning of the Prophecy was inspired by the Prophecy of Seven from the Heroes of Olympus.

2\. Royal Knight, Legendary Digimon, Omnimon: No, not Tai and Matt's Omnimon, I probably don't have to say this, but just for the sake of citing...In Fusion Episode 30, it is revealed that Omnimon chose Mikey to wield the Red Fusion Loader. Yes, he's the Red General.

3\. Dauntless: I got this from Divergent, which, oddly enough, I haven't actually read, I just heard from my friends that one of the factions in Divergent is called Dauntless.

~X~

 _Alright, first chapter is done! I know you didn't really see much of all the characters (except for Adventure/02) but I promise that in the next chapter you will! Don't forget to leave a review!_

 _Just on a side note, if you want the full list of Royal Knights that have appeared so far, well:_

 _1\. Omnimon_

 _2\. Dynasmon_

 _3\. Crusadermon_

 _4\. UlforceVeedramon_

 _5\. Magnamon_

 _6\. Leopardmon_

 _7\. Craniamon_

 _8\. Gallantmon_


	2. Mission Impossible

**A/N:** _Once again,_ _I would like to thank **Zero Unit RGB** for inspiring me with the classes everybody's in. And also, thanks to all of you who have reviewed, liked, favourited, followed, or you know what, just for reading it thanks! So Chapter 2 is here, and hopefully I can update it this fast for most chapters. This may not be as tense as the first chapter, but maybe I'm just being judgmental with myself. _

_Special thanks to **Zero Slash One** for correcting something I wrote in Chapter 1._

 _If you have forgotten how old everyone is, just remember this (courtesy to Google for this): Ages 6-12 (elementary school); Ages 12-15 (junior high school); Ages 15-18 (high school); Ages 18-28 MAX (university) depending on what you want to be, at 28 you get a Ph.D. Japanese school years are trimester-based. You start in April to the end of July, that's the first term. Then you go from early September to the end of December, that's the second term. Then you begin in early January to late March, that's the third term. You get report cards at the end of each term. School normally starts at 8:30 and ends at 15:00 (3:00 PM). I just wanted to clear that up for you guys because I start in April._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters._

 _Now finally after my boring speech, on with the story!_

~X~

 **Chapter 2: Mission Impossible**

 **MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2006**

Suicide. That's what their mission was.

The Royal Knights all gazed down at the rocky plain below them. It had once been a place of rolling green hills and the essence of all life in the Digital World. Now, all that was left was a steep canyon, the lush green hills having been replaced by charred, blackened and jagged rock.

In the middle of the gaping chasm stood a fortress of some sort, clawing up to the now-permanently blood-red sky, even higher than where the ground tapered off to the cliff. It, too, was fully black, but somehow seemed even darker than its burned surroundings, if that was even possible. Not only did it seem physically dreary, but the Knights could literally _feel_ the presence of darkness that the fortress seemed to emanate…No doubt about it, that was Blackmont Castle. But it seemed too hard for anyone to believe, looking at the area so void of life, that…

… _Had this place really once been Primary Village?_

And the Digimon were… _in_ there, the _Chosens'_ Digimon were…and the Royal Knights would have to go in too…and somehow, some way, rescue them. For now, they would have to wait for Gennai to come back—they were quick to not mention _if_ he came back—from scouting around the area to find a way in. They all had a plan in mind; it was just a matter of carrying it out. And that was easier said than done. Blackmont Castle was probably crawling with whatever dark forms their enemy had up its sleeve, all with the ability to delete the very data of Digimon.

Indeed, this mission was nothing short of impossible.

* * *

 **Kamiya Residence, 8:15**

Tai rushed to get his things ready.

Today was his first day at Odaiba University and he didn't want to be late. Passing the entrance exams was one thing, being early was another. Ironically, it was also his younger sister Kari's first day at Odaiba High.

He quickly put on a set of ironed clothes— _Thank you, Mom!_ —put his D-Terminal in his pocket, and burst into the kitchen where Kari was already sitting at the table, wearing her school uniform, eating breakfast.

"Brother," she asked. "What's the rush?"

"What do you mean?" Tai replied, making eggs. "It's my first day at Odaiba University, of course I don't want to be late! First impressions, you know."

Kari giggled. "Even if you do end up being late, I'm sure you won't be the only one. Knowing Davis, he'll probably be late at Odaiba High, too."

Tai grinned as he plopped himself down on a chair across from Kari. Chewing his eggs, he thought about the younger boy whom he'd given his goggles to. For whatever reason he had given them to him, the thought just wouldn't surface. _Doesn't matter, anyway. If I gave them to him, I had a very good reason to._

"Yeah…he'll probably be late too." Feeling particularly mischievous, he pulled out his D-Terminal and wrote to Davis:

 **Tai: Did you catch the late train for high school yet?**

The answer came fast.

 **Davis: Speak for yourself. I'll be riding it with you, after all. Reliable sources tell me. :P**

Tai looked up at Kari who simply shrugged, pulling her hands from under the table to reveal her own D-Terminal. Scrolling up, he found what he was looking for:

 **Kari: Davis, maybe you're getting your tardiness from your idol. Oniichan says he'll be late to OU today.**

"You know…" Tai began, fingers blurring on the keyboard.

 **Tai: Just because I say I'll be late, doesn't mean I will be.**

 **Davis: Oh, really?**

 **Tai: What's that supposed to mean? Remember who your senior is.**

 **Davis: Look at the time.**

Looking up at the wall clock, Tai checked the time: 8:27. Kari had already left, and he could hear her laughing down the hallway. "Why, you…Wait up!" he called after her as he grabbed his bag and sprinted after her. Years of soccer practice would pay off today if he managed to get to OU on time.

He was so preoccupied in the morning, so caught up about going to university, that he barely remembered the dream he had had last night. And the same words—or _verses_ , they seemed to be—that kept repeating in his mind over and over again. On top of that, he knew there should be something else he should be focusing on, something important…

But Tai pushed those thoughts aside as he raced to OU.

* * *

A few minutes later, Gennai came walking up to the Royal Knights. Instantly, they formed a circle around him, tense at what he was going to say.

"I have scoured the area down below and around here, above the cliff," Gennai began.

"Wait…" Magnamon cut in. "How did you get down there without getting caught by…whatever is down there or in the castle?"

Gennai showed the faintest of smiles. "The same way we're going to sneak in."

The Knights all exchanged glances with one another. It was really happening. Their mission was beginning.

* * *

 **Kanbara Residence, 8:16**

Takuya was late. And he knew the reaction he'd be getting from Zoë (and Koji, for that matter) would not be a pretty one. He had his uniform on, his goggles on, had his bag with him, so not wanting to waste another minute, he quickly said bye to his parents.

He was half-out the door when Shinya hollered, "Hey, brother! Wait for me!"

Oh, right. Takuya forgot. His younger brother Shinya was going with him, since he'd be going to the Junior High.

"C'mon, hurry up!" Takuya prodded, already five steps ahead of him.

Over the past five minutes, he had had four text alerts, probably from Koji, Koichi, Zoë, and JP. He hadn't wanted to check them, afraid of what they would say (particularly Zoë). Finding the liberty right now, while running to the train station where he knew his friends had undoubtedly been waiting for him for a while, he checked his new cell phone (he never remembered what had happened to his old one).

 **Zoë: Where are you? If you don't get here any sooner, you're going to make us all late!**

 **Koji: Just give us the text when you're ready for us to leave without you.**

 **JP: Will you hurry it up a little? Zoë's about to go Godzilla on us.**

 **Koichi: Don't mind Koji, he just doesn't want to be late for his first day at OH.**

By the time Takuya finished reading his texts, he had managed to reach Shibuya Subway Station, with Shinya hot on his heels. He quickly bought a ticket (for the both of them) and raced to the designated platform he was to wait on. Looking in front of him, he could see the train had already pulled up.

 _No!_ He saw the doors starting to close. Shinya quickly slipped in. Takuya suddenly wished he was younger and smaller.

Sprinting, he made a mad dash for the quickly closing train doors and leaped through the gap that closed seconds later. Takuya landed in a heap on the ground, suddenly feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. _Haven't I done this before? Maybe not with train doors but…_ Before he could finish the thought, he found four sets of eyes staring down at him.

"There you are!" Zoë fumed. "What took you so long?"

"Hey, I'm here, aren't I?" Takuya countered playfully.

"Yes, barely," Koji muttered before Koichi cut in, "Well, we're all here now, so that's what matters." He added, "Hello, Shinya."

"Hi," Shinya replied.

"Too bad Tommy's not with us," mused Takuya as he thought of their twelve-year-old friend. "Anyway, why'd we all have to go to Odaiba High? That means we're going to have to take the train everyday…"

"I've already _taken_ the train everyday," JP complained. "Second year, remember? And counting. But aside from that, Odaiba High's a prestigious school."

"That doesn't matter if you get bad in their entrance exams…" mumbled Takuya.

Everybody laughed at that.

As the train pulled into the station in Odaiba, Takuya checked the clock on the far wall of the station. He could just make out the time: 8:27.

"Hey," he announced as they all walked off the train. "We're not that late. We've got three minutes 'til classes start."

"It's 8:27?" JP cried. "It takes five minutes to walk from here!"

"That's why you run!" Takuya yelled back as he tore through the crowd. He knew his friends and brother weren't far behind. He still stopped abruptly as something crossed his mind. "Hey, JP! Where's the Junior High?"

"Two...minutes...walking...distance..." JP gasped between breaths, slowing down in front of the goggle-head. "...there...on our way to OH..."

Takuya nodded to Shinya, who had also managed to catch up, though barely. "Okay, then, I guess we split up at Junior High and meet you there again at the end of the day. Lead the way, JP!"

As the five of them raced to make it to school. Takuya once again felt like he should be remembering something…a dream…it was a dream away... _A dream can wait for now._

* * *

The water was murky black. Then again, everything else was.

Gennai had found a small passageway (above the cliff where everyone was) that led a small ways underground before ending in a small dark cavern filled with equally dark murky water. If it could be called water, it was so opaque. The only source of light came from a sort of glowing green moss, which grew near the water as well as on the ceiling. The sound of running water could be heard on the other end of the cavern. Gennai pointed in that direction.

"That," he said, "is our way in."

"What exactly is on the other side?" Gallantmon asked.

"There is a pipe on the other side," Gennai explained, and he was quite sure the Knights could guess where this was going. He continued nonetheless. "It leads down underground stopping outside of Blackmont Castle, before continuing in Blackmont Castle's basement." _Supposedly where the Chosens' Digimon are being kept,_ Gennai did not add.

Indeed, they could. Their plan would come next. And that was only _if_ they could manage to get inside. Because deep down, everyone felt that the Darkness was letting them get this far purposely.

That they were merely being played with.

* * *

 **Matsuki Residence, 8:17**

Takato rushed out the door, yelling a quick "I'm going, Mom, Dad!" behind him.

Running down the street, he checked to make sure he had everything with him. _Wearing uniform…goggles…have my bag…lots of bread…wait, what?_

He stopped himself, both mentally and physically. Bread? Why would he need lots of bread? Sure, his parents owned a bakery, but they didn't ask for him to deliver anything today, let alone this morning, right before he left for Odaiba High. Shaking his head, he continued walking, ignoring his sudden thought.

Then again…Takato felt like he _should_ be bringing something else with him, something he usually carried with him everyday…But the thought slipped him, as well as his sudden remembrance of the dream he had had, and he pushed all those unnecessary disturbances aside as he looked ahead and saw two familiar faces.

"Henry! Rika!" Takato called to them and waved. Henry waved back, while Rika just glanced at him in greeting.

"It's so great that you're not going to a private school anymore, Rika!" he began, attempting to start some small talk with her.

She merely shrugged. "OH is a prestigious school, so I was able to convince my mom to let me go."

" _You_ convinced your mom?" said a voice behind them. "That just _proves_ you like us!"

The three turned around as they saw Kazu running up to them, Kenta and Jeri not far behind. "Hi, Takato!" Jeri smiled. Takato felt his cheeks burn as he smiled and waved back.

In response Kazu's remark, Rika punched him. "Don't get any ideas in that small head of yours."

"Oh, right," Kazu relented mockingly. "It's not because of us, of course. I forgot! Now that you're going to OH, you can hang out with Ryo more."

The only answer he got was another punch, this time harder. Takato bit back a laugh as they all headed for the Shinjuku Subway Station.

Some things never changed.

* * *

The journey through the sewage pipes was excruciatingly congested and slow.

Gennai took the lead, going on his back, dragging himself along the pipe, while UlforceVeedramon took up the rear. The Royal Knights barely fit the diameter of the opening. But in the end, it helped to have a tight fit since the water was pushing _against_ them, and there didn't seem to be anything to hold on to inside the pipe. It was all just bare smooth metal, or cold slick water.

And the smell. It wasn't what anyone could comprehend. It was _bad_ , and yet, no one knew what it was. It was as if instinct simply told them, _The smell's bad. Learn not to like it._

It felt like hours had passed before the line stopped. Or so UlforceVeedramon thought since he was at the very end of the procession. After a few minutes, however, he found himself to be the only one in the pipes, everyone having come out of a small gap.

Heaving himself, he wedged his shoulders through first, then pulled the rest of himself through. For a heart-stopping second, he thought he was stuck, until he gave one more great shove forward, and he was out, as were the rest of them.

Gennai and the Royal Knights were in a small cubical room, dark and damp. There was a door at the far end, leading to who-knew-where, probably deeper into the castle. If it was locked, it wouldn't matter. The Royal Knights would use one of their attacks to break the lock (hopefully not the whole door).

The next phase would be the hardest part yet, but they had planned it out a million times to one another, thinking of different scenarios, but now they would really do it.

Infiltrate the castle in the hopes of finding the Digimon, and Digivices for that matter.

All the while even before they went to try and open the door, they felt the presence of the Voice, the Voice that had seemed to haunt them from the moment they had stepped foot in the pipes.

 _ **"Yes, come closer. Come to us...join us!"**_

* * *

 **Damon Residence, 8:20**

Marcus reluctantly got ready for his first day at Odaiba University. _As if there's a point in education_. He had almost not been accepted.

Apparently he didn't have a high school degree. His parents had been confused, asking how his son had not attended high school for the past three years.

To be perfectly honest with himself though, he couldn't actually _remember_ what he had done in those last three years. His mind was completely blank.

And now, with his parents taking a great care in his education, he'd been told he'd be taking _triple_ the amount of work for him to be able to catch up. On top of that, he'd have to take classes in the summer, too. What shocked Marcus the most was that he actually passed the entrance exams—only just, they put it—considering the fact that he was pretty sure he had answered more than half the test with the word "the" or "because".

… _Or had the test been multiple choice?_ He couldn't remember. He didn't care to. His life sucked enough.

And then there was something else he felt like he _should_ be remembering, something more important than the entrance exams, and part of him felt that if he remembered it—whatever _it_ was—then he would also find out what he had forgotten over the last three years.

Instead, Marcus focused on his little sister Kristy, who also had her first day at Odaiba High.

Kristy had her uniform on and was already halfway out the door. Marcus caught up to her before she could leave.

"Hey, Kristy!" he called. "You want me to walk you to school?"

"It's fine," she replied. "Keenan and I are going together, remember? He should be here any—oh, there he is now!"

They both looked in front of them to see the blue-haired boy walk up to them, also in uniform. "Good morning, Marcus, Kristy," he said, nodding at both of them in turn. He then looked at Marcus. "Um…are you coming with—?"

"No," Kristy cut in. "Actually…Marcus, shouldn't you be heading off to Odaiba University by now?"

Marcus inwardly groaned. _Thanks for reminding me._ "Right," he said. I'll be…going now, then." He turned heel and walked back into the house. He wasn't worried about Kristy, anyway. She was in good hands. After all, Keenan had…

 _What?_ Keenan had what? Another thing he felt like he should be remembering, but it had just slipped from him. _Whatever._ His main priority for now was to survive his first day in living hell. Slinking his bag over his shoulder, he walked out of his house, down the street, towards his living doom.

 _Maybe I should have failed the entrance exams on purpose._

* * *

They ran into a problem the second they split up.

They all knew splitting up wasn't the best idea but when time was of the essence, since they didn't actually know the full extent of their enemy's intentions (or even what the enemy actually _was_ ), separating into groups was the only thing to do. They were all given black cloaks to drape over themselves in a feeble attempt to blend in while they searched.

Dynasmon and Crusadermon were one group, Gallantmon, Magnamon, and Omnimon another, and Leopardmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon the last. They would all go different directions, looking for either the Chosens' Digimon, Digivices, or the Legendary Warriors' Spirits.

Gennai had taken note that the Spirits could not simply be confined as easily as tangible Digimon could be. They were normally housed in the Warriors' D-Tectors, but now, they could have easily been put into some other form of confinement. Gennai himself would go looking for the Portal that the Sovereigns hinted would lead to the Human World.

If all went well, they would rendezvous in three hours in the same room they had just entered. They would have to somehow mark the places they had been around the castle to be able to find their way back. But that was if everything went well.

And knowing their recent luck, nothing ever went well.

* * *

 **Kudo Residence, 8:22**

Mikey was just about ready to leave for Odaiba University when his cell phone rang. It was Angie. He suppressed a smile, knowing what was coming. "Hello?"

"You sure you have everything for today?" she cut right down to the chase. When Mikey was younger, Angie was always the one to look after him when he pushed himself too hard to help others…that he forgot to take care of himself. "Angie," he began. "I'll be _fine_. I'm in university!"

"That doesn't mean you've changed!" she grumbled. "For all I know, as soon as you drop my call, you'll be running to help someone else before you even step foot into Odaiba University!"

"Don't worry about it! I've got everything I need."

"Bag?"

"Yes."

"Clothes?"

"Ye—Angie!"

"Okay, maybe that was a joke, but still...I don't know, Mikey…it would be better if we were the same age."

"Don't worry," Mikey reassured her again. Angie was only one year younger than him, going on for her last year at Odaiba High. But that didn't stop her from being like a mom to him. "Anyways…why don't you concern yourself over someone else? Like Jeremy or Christopher? It's their first day at OU too!"

"Jeremy doesn't need any help," Angie replied. "And Christopher…well," And here Mikey could hear her snicker quietly, and imagined her laughing on the other end, "he's got Nene."

True enough. The two may not show it, but Christopher _did_ tend to show some affection to Nene. It wouldn't be a surprise if it went vice versa as well.

Mikey had already eaten and was out the door after saying bye to his mom. "Right, Angie," he said. "I'm out now. Shouldn't you be heading to Odaiba High by now?"

"Yeah, I was just about to leave as soon as _you_ left. Take care of yourself. Promise me."

He grinned. "Of course. I promise." He ended the call.

Vaguely, Mikey remembered promising something similar to Angie before…only he had a feeling it had been much more important than taking care of himself in university. But the déjà vu passed, and he moved on. He didn't pay attention to the back of his mind.

 _Is there someone I'm turning my back on right now?_

* * *

Dynasmon and Crusadermon went right to work, after passing through the wooden door (which didn't happen to be locked, suspiciously), and going separate ways from a fork in the passage, they found themselves met with a series of twisting and turning hallways, all with the same black-coloured stone walls.

The Royal Knights had anticipated something like this. So Dynasmon and Crusadermon would mark every passage/turn they would go through with an _X_ , Gallantmon, Magnamon, and Omnimon would with a _Y_ , Leopardmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon a _Z_ , and Gennai...well, he had his own ways of getting around. Maybe he'd use a different mark?

They had been walking down the infinitely distorting corridor for a while before they were met with black hooded silhouettes.

With crimson eyes.

* * *

Gallantmon, Magnamon, and Omnimon hadn't had much luck with finding anything. Their hallway had been filled with intersections every few steps they took, so they continuously had to mark the path they took with a small _Y_ etched in one of the stones near it.

After reaching yet another T junction, they had to make another wild guess. "We went right last time," reasoned Magnamon, "so let's go left." They took the left branch and as they continued walking, Gallantmon suddenly noticed something about their surroundings.

"Are the walls getting _narrower_?" he asked suddenly.

The three Knights looked to their left and then to their right and sure enough, could see the stone walls pushing inwardly toward them. Ahead of them lay eternal blackness, so it was impossible to tell whether it got even narrower than that. "It could be the wrong tunnel," noted Omnimon. As they turned back the way they came, they noticed a featureless steel door in their way.

Of course it hadn't been there before.

Gallantmon tried the door. It wouldn't budge. "I could go for breaking the door," Gallantmon suggested. He held up his shield for his _'Shield of the Just'_ attack.

And that's when the black cat attacked.

* * *

Leopardmon, Craniamon, and UlforceVeedramon had had no luck either in finding anything. Their hallway went long and straight, seeming to stretch infinitely. Every few metres they went, a room would branch off to the left or the right, with or without a door. All the rooms with closed doors were unlocked.

They had passed by the umpteenth door, after looking inside and finding yet another room with the same bare black stone walls, and were walking on again when Leopardmon told them all to stop.

"Wait," he said, "let's check that room again."

"Did you see something in here?" Craniamon asked, glancing around the room again with a tentative eye.

"Yes, I thought this was strange…" Leopardmon looked to be in thought as he stared at the ground in the middle of the room. He drew what seemed to be a large rectangle on the ground, until Craniamon realized he was _tracing_ grooves of a rectangle. Now that he looked carefully, on one side of the rectangle there were what seemed to be bumps…or now that he thought about it…hinges.

"It's a trapdoor," Craniamon realized. "Good eye, Leopardmon." Going down next to him, UlforceVeedramon at his side, they both got their fingers in the groove and pulled. "That won't work," Leopardmon said as he pulled out his Sword of Destruction.

Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon got the message and moved over. "

Make it less powerful," UlforceVeedramon suggested. "We don't want to get the whole castle's attention." _Whoever lives in this castle._

Leopardmon nodded. "Black Aura Blast!"

There was a blinding light, then the sound of stone on stone as the trapdoor exploded. As the smoke and grit subsided, both Knights leaned down to look at the newly formed hole.

Inside, they found them: six Digivices, six D-3's, nine D-Powers, six D-Tectors, six Data Links (also called Digivice Bursts), and eleven Fusion Loaders. And…two Digieggs?

"Whose Digimon are in those eggs?" asked Leopardmon.

Craniamon was about to answer when a wisp of darkness came and wrapped around him, squeezing hard. A quick look at Leopardmon and UlforceVeedramon showed that they were in the same situation. And then that hideous Voice spoke again, dull but persistent.

 _ **"Yes, so nice of you to join us!"**_

* * *

 **Motomiya Residence, 8:27**

Davis cursed under his breath as he couldn't get his tie straightened properly.

Sure, the little conversation he had had with his idol Tai Kamiya had been fun but at the same time he knew it was true: he'd probably be late to Odaiba High today. Not that it mattered to him, anyway. Davis didn't get what use equations or vectors would be in a ramen cart.

But if he had to go through high school to reach his dream, he would. At least he had passed the entrance exams. And that was with his best friend Ken's help. But come to think of it, Davis was getting better at his studies (though it didn't mean he wouldn't join the soccer team). But he still owed it to Ken for helping. How they had ended up as a pair was beyond Davis.

Come to think of it, the brunet couldn't actually remember how he and Ken had become friends, or when. And _where_. As if on cue, his D-Terminal beeped. He checked it.

 **Ken: Are you coming to school today or did you already get here and are in class early?**

 **Davis: So funny I forgot to laugh. What are you supposed to expect from me? Besides, I've had three people messaging me today, including you.**

That's when he realized something else.

 **Davis: Wait, you're at school already?**

Ken lived in Tamachi, which was all the way across the Rainbow Bridge, so he'd either have to take a bus, train, or boat. _Well, forget the boat. He isn't sightseeing._

 **Ken: And now you realize. Now hurry up, everyone else is already here.**

 _Figures._ He pulled on his goggles (given to him by _yours truly_ ), lugged his bag and ran hard out the door down the street, his heart pumping. Just like his idol Tai, he had years of soccer practice behind him.

And also like Tai, Davis barely had the chance to remember the dream he had had last night, and the constant feeling that he had left something behind.

* * *

Kudamon could sense something was going on outside of his confined quarters. He felt the presence of Digimon, familiar Digimon...

 _The Royal Knights?_

Even though he was not at his strongest, being a Royal Knight himself as Kentaurosmon, Kudamon could still feel the familiar presence of his fellow Royal Knights.

Omnimon, Magnamon, Gallantmon, Dynasmon, Crusadermon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, Leopardmon...and someone else...someone he didn't know...

 _Neither Digimon nor human...who could be with the Royal Knights?_

Or rather the real question was, What were they doing here to begin with? Kudamon was pretty sure he could guess, but whatever the reason, he could also sense that things would soon get violent.

He didn't know what creatures exactly stalked the halls of wherever him and the other Digimon were being kept, but whatever they were, they seemed to have a power far passed the reaches of a Royal Knights' power...let alone any Digimon, it seemed.

But whatever happened, Kudamon knew things would be getting ugly quite soon. And he knew that the other Digimon, just like him, would not fancy in watching everything in the background. Not to mention...get the chance for an escape.

 _If I wasn't there for Sampson once, then I'd better make sure I do all I can to be there for him this time._

* * *

 **Akashi Residence, 8:28**

"Tagiru! You're going to be late!" his mother called him from the kitchen. He was still in his room putting on his uniform. _They should make these things easier to wear._ It was 8:28. He was going to be late for school. _Like it matters. I'm late for school every day!_

It was his third, and final, year at Odaiba High. He just had to get through one more year. _And then university._ But he could forget about that for now. He had his friends with him to get through the year. Ryouma, Ren, and Hideaki were all in the same grade as him. Yeah, Tagiru could forget about university for now…

 _Isn't there something else I should be remembering?_ Something important. Then again, just about everything he forgot was important. Important to other people. He forgot school half the time and that was practically always why he was late. _Probably something not important to me,_ he thought. So he pushed it to the back of his mind.

"Tagiru!" his mom called again. "It's 8:28!"

"Coming!" he called. He put on his goggles, given to him by his superstar idol Mikey Kudo (for whatever reason he had forgotten), and after grabbing a quick okonomiyaki from the kitchen table—it was still warm and soft to the touch—he raced out the door. "Bye Mom!" he called over his shoulder. If he ran non-stop, he could still make it to class.

 _After all, that's what I do every day!_

* * *

Gennai had been wandering the halls both quickly and efficiently, weaving his way through corridor after corridor. He had been used to putting his faith in the DigiDestined. But he had seen what the enemy could do.

He could see what the enemy had done.

 _To the Sovereigns,_ _at that._

But then again, all the Chosen of all five universes had never been together to fight as one before, so it really already was a miracle for them to be in the same universe, even though it had been their foe's doing.

Gennai had senses that no one else had. He could sense something was close. Something powerful. Looking ahead of him, he noticed a room with the door slightly ajar. Even from a distance, he could see the glowing. He knew he'd found it.

As Gennai walked ever so closer to the room, he knew he was being watched. By whatever _thing_ that lurked in the shadows, he was being watched, physically and mentally. That thing knew what he had found.

And that meant Gennai didn't have much time. The second phase of the plan in his mind was not a good one, but in all cases, the only one, in which the Chosens' Digimon could have a chance, however small, to make it to the Human World. From his robes, Gennai produced a something: a hard drive. He would need it soon. Finally, Gennai got to the room and took a look inside. And there it was.

The Portal.

* * *

 _So Gennai's found the Portal! And it seems that the Chosen feel like they've forgotten something, so at least all hope may not be lost. But it looks like the Royal Knights are all in a jam...and whose Digieggs are those? You'll just have_ _to read the next chapter to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. "Good eye, Leopardmon.": The irony. I swear I didn't write that on purpose.

2\. Crusadermon: In the English dub, they make him female (I believe), but in Japanese dub, he's male. I'll just keep him male. Speaking of which, I'm keeping Lopmon male, too.

3\. Okonomiyaki: It's basically like a Japanese pancake containing a variety of ingredients. It literally means "grilled as you like it", which is why the ingredients vary depending on your preferences. After watching Hunters, it seems Tagiru quite likes them. Then again, he likes all food.

~X~

 _Chapter 2 is done! Hope you liked it, and don't forget to review if you can! I do apologize for the long author's note at the beginning. I promise it won't happen every chapter!_

 _Note: Special thanks to the guy who caught (and reviewed, letting me know) about my error with Mikey/Taiki and Tagiru's goggle._


	3. Old Friends, New Discoveries

**A/N:** _Chapter 3 is here, thankfully. When I throw in action scenes or mysteries, that inevitably means I'm going to have to do an explaining chapter at some point. But not yet, probably one of the last chapters at the end of this arc, and I have no idea how long this arc will take. I thought I'd get most of it done in this chapter instead of the continuous switch from Real World to Digital World, but it looks like that's going to happen again next chapter. Anyways, I'll also be starting interactions with the characters from all the seasons now, so things may seem to slow down. Hope you like it all the same!_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters._

 _So now..._

 _ON WITH THE STORY!_

~X~

 **Chapter 3: Old Friends, New Discoveries**

Things were getting interesting.

Renamon could not perceive how long she and the other Digimon had been kept in their cells, but it had been long enough for her to start getting fatally bored. But now some Digimon named Kudamon seemed to be talking…talking about something going on outside of their confinements. Under normal circumstances, Renamon would have gone herself, seeming to disappear in front of others' eyes and reappear somewhere else, but there seemed to be a barrier of some sort put on the bars of all the cages, deflecting any Digimon's attacks.

But it didn't seem to be blocking Renamon's own senses.

Like Kudamon, she too could sense other Digimon in the vicinity. Kudamon had mentioned they were Royal Knights. She fleetingly wondered if Guilmon or Terriermon felt their presence too. Pushing the thought away, Renamon tuned back in to what Kudamon was saying.

"…the Royal Knights are obviously here for a reason, and given this chance we must take action," Kudamon was saying.

"And what, exactly, do you propose we gon' do about it?" Renamon recognized Impmon's voice.

"I understand that these bars seem to deflect all attacks…" Kudamon answered.

"Not to mention that we haven't eaten anything, Kudamon," an Agumon with red armbands cut in. "Those guys haven't given us anything to eat! I'm so hungry I could—"

"We're all hungry, Agumon," Kudamon interrupted. "But at the same time, we all want to see our partners again." Here he paused, as if wanting to make sure every Digimon were listening.

"…Well?" all the Digimon asked at once.

And despite all the odds, Renamon saw Kudamon smile. "Even though we shouldn't be doing this, it seems to be the only thing we can do…"

* * *

 **Front of Odaiba University, 8:30**

Joe was getting impatient.

It was his second year at OU studying medicine, and he understood that it was Tai, Matt, and Sora's first day in their first year. Okay, so Matt and Sora were here, but did they still have to wait for Tai? It was 8:30, according to his watch, which meant classes would be starting now! "Maybe Tai's just running late," he told the two. "Let's just go to class now."

"I don't know…" Sora said. "We said we'd all wait for each other and then go in together, being our first day and all…but Joe, you can go if you want. I know you don't want to be late." Matt nodded his agreement. "Yeah, it's just us first years. Go on, Joe. You've always been there for us. It's fine."

"Then it's a good—thing I'm…here!" gasped a voice. It was Tai. It looked like he'd sprinted the full way. "Alright then…better get to…to—our classes now…"

"'Bout time you showed up," Matt grunted. Joe knew he was actually happy to see him. "What took you so long? We were just about to go in."

"Oh, y'know…people holding me up, and all..." Tai grinned. "Why're you guys still out here? Aren't you going to be late? I, for one, have business class to attend to!" With that, he ran into the building.

"What do you think? We were waiting for you, idiot!" Matt stormed after him to class, Sora laughing behind him. Joe just looked at them. Until he remembered he had a class to get to, too.

 _"Hey, wait for me!"_

* * *

 **Front of Odaiba High, 8:31**

Davis finally showed up, panting, one minute after class should have started.

"There you are!" shouted Yolei as he ran up to them. _What's with this guy?_ "What took you so long?!"

"Well, he's here now…" Ken began, awkwardly putting his hand on her shoulder, "…so that's all that matters…"

"Yeah, and it's not like we could have expected anything else," joked TK. Kari giggled beside him.

"You still waited for me?" Davis asked, somewhat surprised. "Wow, I'm _that_ special to you guys?"

"Don't push it," Yolei grumbled, at the same time Kari intercepted, "Well, we didn't want to leave you behind to get to class…"

Davis grinned goofily. "I knew it. I'm real special."

"Yeah, I guess so," TK agreed half-sarcastically. Then he looked at everyone. "Wait, didn't class just start a minute ago?" _Uh-oh._

They all sprinted into the building. Yolei split up from them to go to the second years' section. The four first years would be fine. They'd find out what class they were in soon enough.

* * *

The silhouettes were just standing there.

Crusadermon had expected them to attack in the slightest, but they showed no hint of it. Then again, their whole bodies showed no hint of anything, being all black. In fact, the only thing that stood out were their red eyes, just staring at the two Royal Knights.

"Are they going to do anything?" Dynasmon asked hesitantly.

"Well," considered Crusadermon. "If they'll just stand there…" They both seemed to understand where this was going. Slowly and carefully, the two Knights treaded between the silhouettes, who continued to stay there motionless. Both Knights were quite unsure (and afraid) at what would happen if they touched one of the…things.

The two continued walking down the twisting hallway. Up ahead, they found that the hall did indeed stop, at a circular room with no door. Instead, it had a black-stone archway. Slightly weary, the two Knights stepped inside.

The room was quite large, but was mostly empty, except for a lone round stone dais sitting in the middle of the room. It, like everything else, was black, so when the two Knights saw bits of colour strewn around the dais it immediately caught their attention.

As they made their way to the dais, they saw that what they thought were just stray bits of colour were not random at all. Instead, the streaks of colour were put at intervals, dividing the dais into twelve sections, like on a pie.

 _Orange. Blue. Red. Purple. Green. Grey. Yellow. Pink. Lavender. Gold. Turquoise. Magenta._

There were words underneath each of the colours, as well as a symbol etched above it. The Knights instantly recognized them, as shocked as they were.

"Th-The Crests?" sputtered Dynasmon at the same time Crusadermon added, "Weren't these destroyed by Apocalymon?"

The twelve symbols etched above each Crest seemed to be the symbols for each respective Crest. Among them were three that the Knights didn't recognize. They read the words inscribed underneath the coloured Crests, which were already in their Tags, somehow.

 _Orange for Courage._ _Blue for Friendship._ _Red for Love._ _Purple for Knowledge._ _Green for Sincerity._ _Grey for Reliability._ _Yellow for Hope._ _Pink for Light._ _Lavender for Kindness._ _Gold for Miracles._ _Turquoise for Wisdom._ _Magenta for Passion._

But the real question that was on the Knights' minds was, _How did the enemy acquire these?_ and, more importantly, _How did the Crests reincarnate?_

What they both seemed to agree on, however, was that the twelve Crests would need to be brought to the Chosen as well, as unexpected as it was. Crusadermon reached down to pick one of them up.

As soon as he made contact, however, there was a hissing sound, and Crusadermon heard Dynasmon shout "Look out!" before he had time to whip around and see for himself. The silhouettes had come, and they seemed very much able to move, Crusadermon would even call _fluid_.

He barely had time to pull out his own blade before one silhouette came at him with his very own sword. It was completely black, but that didn't stop it from looking deadly.

The two were suddenly locked in combat. Crusadermon twisted and turned gracefully, but the silhouette seemed up to the challenge, seeming to bend and fold in a way that was too unreal. Crusadermon barely remembered he was still holding a Crest. He also barely paid attention to Dynasmon, who was also battling with another silhouette.

 _No_. From his peripheral vision, Crusadermon could see that it was a lot more than one. _Six or seven. Maybe eight._ They seemed to be closing in on him too, limiting the space he had to combat. He also noticed the look Dynasmon threw him. Crusadermon got the message and danced to the side, closing in on the dais.

"NOW!" Dynasmon shouted. At the same time, Crusadermon dove and took the eleven remaining Crests and lunged to the side as Dynasmon yelled,

"Dragon's Roar!"

Immediately shots of energy went flying toward the silhouettes from Dynasmon's palm. As they hit, the black figures exploded in a cloud of white mist, which both Knights wondered whether it meant they had been destroyed. They found out soon enough, though, as soon as all the figures had been defeated, they saw black particles forming on the ground and a few seconds later, the silhouettes had been renewed. The two Knights were in shock. And against the very nature of them, they ran.

If it had been up to Crusadermon, or Dynasmon, or any other Royal Knight, they wouldn't have fled. Under normal circumstances, they would have turned around and fought, but this was no normal circumstance.

But more importantly, they understood that attacking their foe's fortress was not the purpose of their visit. Even if it had been, most of their attacks were quite powerful; Crusadermon had been momentarily surprised when Dynasmon hadn't used his "Dragon Breath" attack, but he got it now: by letting themselves enter on enemy territory, they were not only at a disadvantage of not being on their own land, but because of the constant enclosure in a castle, they were limited to using their greatest attacks.

Because they weren't sure if the ceiling would fall with it.

And that would destroy the whole mission. So all the two Knights could do was run back down the twisting corridor. Crusadermon couldn't hear any sounds of pursuit, which only made him even more worried.

That was when Crusadermon felt it: a tugging sensation on his mind before he noticed the silhouette suddenly standing in front of him and Dynasmon. It seemed to be holding a staff of some sort, black of course. An orb of energy seemed to be concentrating on one end of the staff. Crusadermon barely saw the beam of light coming towards them.

And yet he felt no impact. Instead he heard someone shout, "Schwertgeist!" and Crusadermon suddenly wondered if Dynasmon was feeling as astonished as he was as they both blurted out the same name at the same time:

 _"Jesmon?"_

Indeed it was Jesmon, another one of their fellow Royal Knights. And he had counter-attacked the beam of light and seemed to be fighting more black figures at once, however they abruptly appeared, Crusadermon didn't know. What the two Knights also didn't get was why Jesmon was here. "What are you doing here?!" Dynasmon yelled, assisting Jesmon in the battle.

"You'll find out soon enough!" Jesmon shouted back. His eyes flicked briefly to Crusadermon to let him know he was about to address him. "Go now, while you have the chance!"

"But what about—?" Crusadermon began but was cut off by Jesmon.

"We'll catch up! It's you they're after, since you have the Crests! They're more important than any of us realize!" He paused slightly to land a blow on one of the figures, then continued.

"Don't worry. You'll know the way. Now go! All you need to know is—!" Jesmon was cut off when more silhouettes pushed against him and Dynasmon. Crusadermon went charging down the hall, barely understanding what Jesmon had meant when he'd said, "You'll know the way." But he managed to hear the last bit of what Jesmon had been trying to say, and it left yet another ripple of shock run through him.

"—Alphamon has come!"

Crusadermon never looked back, clutching the Crests all the while. This time he could hear signs of pursuit behind him.

* * *

 **-Odaiba Junior High-**

 **2nd Year Class, Rm 207, 8:35**

Tommy sighed in his seat. Five minutes had passed and there was _still_ no teacher. The only good news today was that Takuya's little brother Shinya was in his class. Which brought Tommy's thoughts leading to another weighing problem.

He would've taken the train from Shibuya Train Staion. He would have gone with Takuya and the others if his older brother Yutaka hadn't been so suspicious. Tommy knew his older brother meant well and that he thought his younger sibling was hanging out with the wrong gang, but of course he wouldn't listen.

So inested, Yutaka just drove him there, because after all, he happened to be going to Odaiba University (in his fourth year) as well, so he may as well make a pitstop for his little brother.

"Hey, when do you think the teacher's gonna get here?" Shinya suddenly asked, having been sitting in the seat on his right.

"I don't know…" Tommy said. He glanced at the seat on his left, where a brown-haired boy was sitting. He looked to be serious. "Hey," Tommy began, trying to start conversation, "what's your name?"

The boy looked over. Although he had looked to be serious at first, his eyes betrayed it with kindness. "Hello. I'm Cody. And you are…?" He held out his hand.

Tommy reached over and shook hands with him. "I'm Tommy." He glanced behind him. "And this is—"

"Shinya!" Shinya broke in, smiling. "Nice to meet you!"

Cody nodded at the two. "It's nice to meet you too." At that moment, a man walked into the classroom. "That's probably our teacher."

"Good morning, everyone," the adult began. "I will be your teacher for your second year at Odaiba Junior High. You can call me Tsubasa-sensei."

"Good morning, Tsubasa-sensei," chorused the class.

The teacher started talking, and Tommy found himself not paying attention. Instead, he was thinking about Takuya and the others. He was such good friends with them, yet he couldn't remember how he'd met them. On the other hand, it made his older brother Yutaka suspicious as to how and why his younger brother Tommy had made friends with them. But he honestly couldn't remember. He just _was_ their friends.

 _I wish Takuya and the others were in junior high,_ thought Tommy. Then he looked to his left and right. _But at least I have Shinya and Cody to keep me company._

* * *

Omnimon reacted first. He intercepted the vicious feline—who seemed to have red eyes, Omnimon noticed—at the same time readying his blade.

"Transcendent Sword!" he yelled as he slashed downward, the cat turning instantly to a white dust. Out of the corner of his eye, Omnimon noticed more darkness seeping in from the steel door. Opening it did not seem like an option anymore.

Turning around, he noticed Gallantmon and Magnamon getting the same gist. Magnamon had taken off his black cloak and was continuing sideways through the narrowing gap, the walls compressing his front and back. Suddenly he called, "Come here! The walls widen out into a…room of some sorts."

Gallantmon and Omnimon followed suite taking off their cloaks and going through sideways, until Omnimon felt he couldn't breathe. Finally, after an agonizing moment, the walls did indeed widen out into what looked like huge chamber. Only, it was so…technologically advanced. That was the only way to describe it.

In contrast to the endless black stone everywhere else, this room's floor and walls were made of shiny metal panels precisely screwed to the walls. But it was the back of the room that took their breath away.

Laid out, row upon row on shelf upon shelf, were…jugs of some sort. Only, what held them was strange. The three Knights moved forward, as if entranced by them.

The jugs weren't that big, just normal sized, clear glass, it seemed, with a metal top and bottom. But the inside…seemed to have a glowing liquid of…something. The colours varied. Orange. Blue. Purple. Red. Yellow. It seemed to be the whole colour spectrum, continuously emitting an eerie glow. After a while of just staring, Omnimon finally noticed something on each one of the jars.

A little bronze plaque, placed on the bottom of every jar. Omnimon leaned in closer and when he read them off to himself, he felt a sense of growing dread.

 _Henry Wong. Nene Amano. Ren Tobari. Mimi Tachikawa. Cody Hida. Kristy Damon. Takuya Kanbara._ The list went on and on. Omnimon counted the number of jugs there were.

 _Forty-six._

"What…are these?" Magnamon asked in a hushed whisper, having noticed the names as well, along with Gallantmon.

They were interrupted by a continuous noise, something that sounded like fighting. "It…sounds like it's coming from…behind here?" Gallantmon said. The three listened again, and sure enough, could hear the sounds of battle and attacks coming from behind the shelf.

And yet…it didn't really sound like anyone was fighting. It was just the sound of numerous Digimon, as if they were randomly using their attacks.

Or trying to get someone's attention.

Gallantmon and Magnamon looked at each other and gave a nod, then went up to opposite sides of the shelf. With a slight heave, they shoved it off to the side, revealing a metal door that almost perfectly blended in with the wall if one didn't notice the rectangular grooves and doorknob at first. That was probably why the shelf had been there for extra cover.

This time Omnimon went and tried the door. It wasn't locked. He turned the knob and cautiously stepped inside, Gallantmon and Magnamon right behind him.

Inside, they were met with row upon row of cages on either side to form a hall that stopped at the far end. Inside the cages, they found some familiar faces.

"Hey, it worked, you guys!" squeaked a little white Digimon.

"Yeah, prob'ly 'cause _I_ was the loudest, Calumon," an Impmon sneered, a tiny flame ignited on his fingertip.

"So I am assuming you all attacked as one to get someone's attention," reasoned Magnamon.

"That is right," said a rather familiar face.

"Kudamon?!" the three Knights yelled. They hadn't known that their fellow Royal Knight, Kentaurosmon at Mega level, who also had a human partner, had been captured too.

"Hey, it's nice that you guys have such a sweet reunion, but can you get us all outta here first?" asked a Terriermon.

"Yes, of course," said Gallantmon. "I'm assuming that your attacks do not work on the cages?"

"No," replied Kudamon. "It seems there is some sort of force field preventing our attacks and deflecting them."

"Wait, if your attacks are being deflected…then are you not getting wounded by your own attacks?" asked Magnamon.

"If it means seeing Takato again, then it doesn't matter if it hurts!" a red dragon-like Digimon—with a biohazard sign on his chest—said. None of the three Knights recalled having ever seen a Digimon like that.

Omnimon noticed a lever at the end of the room, mounted on the wall. As he was walking up to it, he heard Magnamon ask, "How long have you been staying here? It doesn't look like you have been fed well."

"We haven't been fed at all!" complained two Agumons at once, one with red armbands, the other without.

Omnimon reached the lever. It was pointing upwards. The sign beside it said, "LOCK". A sign below it, where the lever would be if someone pushed down, read, "UNLOCK". It was a no-brainer. Omnimon pushed the lever down.

There was a sound like a million clicks, and then all the cages popped open at once. All the Digimon started getting out, if not hesitantly. There was a particularly large Digimon—a dark blue Greymon—that waited for the other Digimon to get out before he himself stepped out. His cage was bigger than the others to accommodate his size. How he could stay confined in such a small place Omnimon had no idea.

"Wait," Omnimon called, going to the front where the exit was. "There is something you should see." He cast a look at Magnamon and Gallantmon, who nodded their agreement. The three Knights waited outside for all the Digimon to get out, before Magnamon and Gallantmon closed the door and pushed the shelf back in its place. The Digimon were already staring at the jars in a strange fascination.

"Your partners' names are on these," Omnimon began. "We…are not exactly sure what they are…"

As one, the Digimon surged forward to look for their partners' names. Two Digimon stayed back. Kudamon and a Kamemon. "Why aren't you with them?" asked Gallantmon.

"Our partners' names are not there," Kudamon said simply. Omnimon wondered how he knew, but another part of him told him that it must have been at an instinctive level. Whatever was in those jars…it seemed to be something really important. "Then," said Omnimon, "do you know what is in—?"

"No," said a Gatomon, clutching a jar with a glowing pink liquid. The plaque read _Kari Kamiya._ "But I feel a part of my partner Kari in here…" She paused slightly as if thinking how to explain, then continued. "It's as if it's…calling to me. Or rather, Kari's calling to me from here. I can feel what she once felt, it…it feels like I'm reliving something that's already happened, and what we've done together." The rest of the Digimon had already taken their own jars.

"That can't mean…" gasped Magnamon. "Those are the Chosens' lost _memories?_ I thought they were erased. How would they…be in there?"

"We don't even know for sure if they even _are_ their memories," reasoned Omnimon. "Even so…we don't actually know much of this enemy no more than any of us does. When we say it erased their memories…it could very well mean erased from them to be taken here."

Everyone paused to think about this for a moment. Then they heard a hissing sound. It was coming from the narrow opening that led into the hallway.

"That can't be good," muttered Magnamon. "Everyone behind us!"

 _If Greymon can fit behind us,_ thought Omnimon. Glancing behind him, he noticed eight jars were left on the shelf. He walked over and glanced at their plaques.

 _Takuya Kanbara. Koji Minamoto. Zoë Orimoto. JP Shibayama. Tommy Himi. Koichi Kimura._ _Jeri Katou. Ryouma Mogami._ Taking them all (somehow), he went over to Kudamon and Kamemon. "None of these are your partners?"

Kudamon looked at him squarely. "The only jars here are of the Chosens Children's. Our partners—" He glanced furtively at Kamemon. "—are adults."

 _So whose Digimon are these eight partnered with? Unless…of course._ Six of them must be the Legendary Warriors. _But then the other two remaining…?_ Suddenly, there was a loud BOOM! as the narrow passage ahead exploded. With it, came a voice, so hideous, speaking to them all in their minds.

 _ **"Drop the Keys…drop the Keys!"**_

"Does it mean…" began Magnamon. "…the jars?" As the smoke from the explosion cleared away, Omnimon noticed the same black cat—with the crimson eyes—stalking forward, leading a huge pack of its species (whatever he was) behind it.

"And what makes you think we'll do that?" an Armadillomon asked defiantly, clutching a jar with yellow liquid. In fact, all the Digimon that were holding jars seemed to be caressing their containers with care. Maybe even love.

"This is our final connection to our partners! We were beaten once, we won't be beaten again!" said a Palmon.

 _ **"I do not believe you will be alive long enough for you to make it to your partners,"**_ the voice jeered. _**"Now drop the Keys, and your partners may live a little longer!"**_

And now the Digimon hesitated. Then a Shoutmon—a red reptilian Digimon with a microphone—spoke up. "Look, I don't know who you're fooling when you say they may live longer. And even if it was true, Mikey would never turn his back on me!" He glared at the cats for good measure. "So I won't turn my back on him. It's what he would have wanted."

 _ **"Then I am afraid to say that you have only put yourselves and your partners in more danger than you are already in. I will tell you again one more time.**_ **Drop. The. Keys.** _ **"**_

In response, as if the Digimon had been planning this for years, they simultaneously upended the jars and drank the glowing liquid inside.

* * *

 **-Odaiba Elementary School-**

 **5th Year Class, 8:40**

Ai sat in her seat beside Suzie and her brother Mako. Their first day in fifth grade was going fine so far, but Ai kept thinking back to the dream she had had last night. It had been strange, and she barely remembered it, so she hadn't told Mako yet. Actually, some parts were kind of weird, and there was also something else she felt like she should be remembering…but Mako would probably think she was crazy, so she didn't tell him. Yet.

"Ai?" Suzie's concerned voice broke Ai's thoughts. Mako also looked at her sister in worry, and somewhat curiosity. "What's wrong?" they both asked.

"Nothing," she said absentmindedly. They all went back to listening to whatever their teacher, Akio-sensei, was talking about.

But all the while Ai still felt like someone was missing in her life. No, _their_ life.

* * *

Leopardmon felt himself being squeezed to death as the darkness continued to stop his breathing. He was aware of his two fellow Knights, Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon, experiencing the same thing. The only thing in his mind was pain. But that's when a cry pierced through it.

"Seiken Gradalpha!"

Leopardmon heard a shriek echo in his head.

He felt himself being released. He was falling. He quickly got his footing before he could tumble to the ground. Somehow, a Digimon's attack had hit the darkness. All he could see was a blue mantle. That alone was enough to put him in surprise.

 _"Alphamon?"_

As he saw more clearly, he could see it was Alphamon, with his black and gold armor. He turned to look at the three Digimon. "Yes, I am Alphamon."

Alphamon was given the title "Aloof Hermit" for a reason: he was barely ever seen. He was more of a deterrent force of some sorts, having barely appearing in normal times.

Which gave a whole new meaning as to how dire the situation the Digital World was in.

But the voice of their enemy was still there. _**"You finally show more of yourselves…how noble. But your struggles are futile, for you will not be leaving this place any time soon. That I can guarantee."**_ Then it was gone, as if the mental pressure on everyone ceased to exist.

"Come," said Alphamon abruptly, taking charge right away. Take the Digivices and Digieggs and follow me."

Leopardmon leaned down into the little hole that was stashing the Digivices. Craniamon took the original Digivices, D-3's, and two Digieggs; UlforceVeedramon got the D-Powers and Data Links/Digivice Bursts; and Leopardmon grabbed the D-Tectors and Fusion Loaders. However there was something odd about the ones Leopardmon was holding.

"Are they… _frozen?_ " Leopardmon frowned. _No, not frozen,_ he realized. The three other Royal Knights had paused to see at what Leopardmon was getting at. It wasn't like they were covered in ice, but they seemed to be…blocked, or cut off…or suspended in the same state, their screens frozen in static, as if set to sleep mode. There seemed to be some sort of barrier keeping the D-Tectors and Fusion Loaders from outside contact.

 _Or to keep something from escaping the inside._ "Are any of your Digivices like these?" Leopardmon asked Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon, as they continued following Alphamon down a random hallway. He seemed to know where he was going, and the voice of their enemy did not seem to be disturbing them, much to everyone's worry.

"No," they both replied.

"What was it that Gennai said before?" Craniamon asked. "The Fusion Loaders hold Digimon, and the Fusion Fighters and Hunters are known to have more than one Digimon in their Fusion Loaders from either allying with them or Hunting them."

"And the Legendary Warriors," UlforceVeedramon piled on. "Their Spirits are housed inside their D-Tectors. It must be a barrier keeping the other Digimon and Spirits in."

"But the other Digivices aren't like that," said Leopardmon. "Which means…"

"…the other Chosens' are elsewhere," finished Alphamon.

"We'll have to find a way to get the barrier down," said Craniamon. "But how?"

"I don't know, but we will surely find a way," said Alphamon. They came to yet another wooden door, except it was on the ceiling. Alphamon reached up to pull it down. It came out easy. Alphamon heaved himself up and was gone. Leopardmon heard his voice, strangely echoing. "Come up, all of you."

The three Knights slowly lifted themselves through the opening, first UlforceVeedramon, then Craniamon, and finally Leopardmon. They were in another room, seeming perfectly spherical and very big, but with grey stone walls instead of black. Leopardmon wondered why. But it was who was inside with them that surprised Leopardmon the most.

Besides himself and his three companions, Crusadermon was in the room, holding little trinkets in his hands. _It can't be…the Crests?_ thought Leopardmon, deciding to ask later. Beside him were two other fellow Royal Knights: Examon and Gankoomon.

"Examon and Gankoomon?" UlforceVeedramon exclaimed. "You have come as well?"

"Not necessarily 'came'," corrected Examon, "but more so 'summoned'. Jesmon is also here."

"Jesmon as well?" said Craniamon. He frowned. "Where is he?"

"With Dynasmon," Crusadermon spoke up for the first time. "They are holding up the enemy at the moment."

Leopardmon then noticed for the first time that Crusadermon's black cloak had been swept off, as if he had taken it off. Leopardmon took his off, as well. The enemy obviously knew they were here; there didn't seem to be a purpose for the cloaks anymore. Craniamon and UlforceVeedramon noticed and took theirs off, too.

"Hang on," Craniamon suddenly said. "They were holding up the enemy…to let you escape?"

Crusadermon nodded grimly. "What Dynasmon and I found in one of the rooms was quite…peculiar." He held up the twelve trinkets.

"They _are_ the Crests," gasped Leopardmon, "but…how?"

"None of us know how the enemy managed to acquire them," said Alphamon.

"Which brings the question," countered UlforceVeedramon, "of how and _why_ you three—or four—got here? And on top of that, Gennai, Dynasmon, Jesmon, Gallantmon, Omnimon, and Magnamon are still in the castle, aren't they? No doubt they are most likely in trouble."

 _Not to mention we're still in the castle, too,_ Leopardmon added silently. _The enemy is probably watching us as we speak._

"We'll answer that along the way," replied Gankoomon. "Follow us. We believe we may be able to figure out where the others are."

The three newly-arrived Royal Knights went to the far end of the spherical room and walked right through the round wall. For a moment, the other four Knights just stared at the round wall, dumbfounded, before Crusadermon muttered, "It's an illusion…"

"Well, I suppose we should go after them," said Craniamon, walking carefully toward the wall. He hesitantly put out a hand to the grey stone, where it passed right through it easily, as if it were liquid, followed by his whole body. The other three Knights went after him, into another black-stoned hallway, but this time lit by crimson flamed torches posted on either side of the corridor every few metres.

"May I ask how you got into that room?" Leopardmon asked Crusadermon as they caught up with Alphamon, Gankoomon, and Examon. Their shock at the new arrivals had slightly faded. "You seemed just as surprised as us about the fake wall."

"I came the same way you came," Crusadermon answered, still clutching the twelve Crests protectively. "While I was running, Jesmon had said I would know the way. Sure enough, while I was running, a Digimon lead me to the entrance in the ceiling. I believe Jesmon sent him. Atho, I believe his name was. Soon after I made it to the inside of the room, I found Examon and Gankoomon. Atho left then, back to Jesmon, I presume. A few minutes later, you showed up along with Alphamon."

"Did they tell you how they got here?" asked UlforceVeedramon, having listened in.

"No," Gankoomon spoke up. "We were awaiting your presence before we finally explained. If things went fine on the other end, Jesmon will also relay what has happened to us to Dynasmon, Omnimon, Gallantmon, and Magnamon."

"As a start," said Examon, "let's just say the Chosen were not the only ones summoned by the Sovereigns in Dream Cave via sleep."

"So you were called as well," said Craniamon. "Then in that case, you must have heard…"

"Yes," replied Alphamon. "We are aware of the death of the Sovereigns, as well as the Prophecy, while we were off elsewhere."

"Off where, exactly?" questioned Leopardmon.

"I believe Gennai himself will explain that," Alphamon answered. "After all, he has played a large role in this. He was the one who alerted us of the Chosens' lost memories. As for me…I have been noticing this great threat on the horizon and have decided the time has come for me to appear."

 _Meaning the Digital World is in the gravest danger yet,_ thought Leopardmon. Just then, a glowing Digimon appeared, reminding him of what Crusadermon had said.

"Here is Atho," said Examon. "That means Jesmon has found the rest. Atho can lead us to them now."

As they all broke out into a run after the fiery Digimon, Leopardmon continued pondering over everything that had suddenly happened. They had the Digivices (though some deactivated at the moment), two Digieggs (whomever they were for), and the twelve Crests (however possible). And now, they had had four old allies come to assist them. And yet, Leopardmon couldn't help but ponder over what Alphamon had said:

 _"I believe Gennai himself will explain that."_

He couldn't help but believe that Gennai had planned for all of this to happen, that their original plan would have never worked out to begin with, that it was only a preview for what was really going to happen, before the real gears he had meant to set would actually be put into motion.

As well as the fact that it seemed that their enemy had its own plans on how to toy with them as they headed deeper into its domain.

* * *

 **Hokkaido Police Headquarters, 8:45**

Yoshino walked in after patrolling to see her fellow police officer friends Megumi and Miki snacking on Shiratori manjuu.

"You're eating without me?" Yoshino asked, half-serious.

"Well, if you want to join in, then come here and sit down," replied Megumi.

As the three started eating, they suddenly recognized someone on the television on the news.

"Thomas got the Nobel Prize?!" shrieked Megumi. She then calmed herself. "Well, we should've expected that at some point…"

Yoshino kept listening to the TV. _He cured his sister's disease. Like he said he would._

"I wonder if Marcus has heard of this…" she murmured to herself. But Megumi and Miki heard her.

"If he hasn't heard it yet, he'll probably know soon enough," said Miki. "His parents have probably heard. He'll find out at some point. And when he does…" She snickered. "…I want to be there to see his reaction."

The mention of Marcus and Thomas got Yoshino wondering once again how exactly they had met and _known_ one another. She really couldn't remember. _But that's how friends are, I guess,_ she thought. _You become friends one day, and you never remember how._ So she pushed the nagging feeling away, even though she felt there was another friend she should be remembering.

Just then, their superior, Commander Sampson, walked in. "Did you patrol the streets?" he asked Yoshino.

"Yes, sir," she replied. "There wasn't any trouble in the area."

"And I see you're having a feast too," he remarked dryly.

"Well…we were just watching Thomas get the Nobel Prize on TV…" Megumi laughed nervously.

"Did he now?" Sampson muttered, looking back and forth from the news to the three. "I'll be sure to meet him personally and congratulate him, but that doesn't have to do with why you're feasting."

"Uh…we're not allowed to eat?" asked Megumi, a few seconds before Yoshino whispered into her ear, "Shut up, you're not helping."

"It's not in question as to why you're eating," Sampson began, and Yoshino noticed a spark in his eyes that made her wonder if he was just playing with them. "The real question is why you didn't offer me any."

Everyone groaned—mostly in relief.

* * *

 **-Odaiba University-**

 **Business Class, 8:46**

Christopher found it hard listening to the teacher speaking at the front of the class. It wasn't anything against the teacher, or the subject, business, for that matter, he just felt that he had other things to be focusing on. Maybe it was because he was at the back of the class. But at the same time, whatever was bothering himseemed really dumb to him. And yet it kept plaguing his thoughts every time he tried pushing it away.

 _It's a stupid dream, for crying out loud!_ It took Christopher a few moments to realize someone was calling him. He glanced to his right, where a guy with bushy brown hair was staring at him. "What is it?" It came out harsher than he meant it to.

The guy didn't even flinch. Christopher respected that. Instead the boy leaned next to him and hissed, "Professor's calling on you, say something!"

That snapped him out of it. "Yes, sir? What was it you were saying?" Christopher kept his voice steady and his face straight.

"I was just telling the class what Gavin Eddy said are the four P's of making a good business are," their professor, Hitoshi-sensei Christopher thought it was, asked. "Please enlighten us again with the four P's, if you're done daydreaming back there." Some people snickered.

Christopher nodded, thinking hard. His father had been the CEO of the Aonuma Group, and more often than not, had educated him about this sort of stuff in business. But now, he couldn't remember anything his father had told him, even though he was pretty sure he had heard the four P's on more than one occasion.

That's when the same brown-haired guy leaned back in his chair to look up, staring at his small notebook, only to mutter something only Christopher caught. "Purpose, product, people, profit."

Understanding what he had said, and remembering this from his dad, Christopher confidently answered, "The four P's of making a good business are purpose, product, people, and profit." He threw a sidelong glance at the guy who had helped him, steeling himself, because he knew he had to say it. "Just this once…thanks," he whispered to him, before redeeming himself. "But I could've gotten the answer myself if you gave me more time."

"Prideful, are we?" the boy asked. He glanced back to the front, where their professor had ceased paying attention to them. "Sure you could have. Tai Kamiya, by the way." He stuck out his hand to Christopher, smirking at him all the same.

Christopher took it. "Christopher Aonuma." Tai's charisma kind of reminded him of Mikey.

 _I can respect him for that, I guess._ This time he really had forgotten about his dream.

* * *

Gennai continued sprinting down the hall. _Just a little longer, they just has to hold on a little longer..._

But he knew the biggest sacrifices were yet to come.

* * *

 _What's with the Crests reincarnated? And honestly, whose idea was it to DRINK the liquid in those jars? But it looks like reinforcements have arrived, let alone, Alphamon has appeared! And now the Chosen are starting to meet one another! The enemy seems to be playing along, though. What are its true motives? You'll_ _have to read the next chapter_ _to_ _find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Schwertgeist: _Sword Ghost._ An omnidirectional counterattack.

2\. -sensei: A Japanese honourific used to address teachers, doctors, politicians, lawyers, and other figures that hold authority.

3\. Seiken Gradalpha: Draws out a convergence of light that is pierced into the centre of a magic circle, and stabs it through the opponent. (Thank you Google.)

4\. Shiratori manjuu: _Whitebird manjuu._ Manjuu is a popular traditional Japanese confection. In Digimon Data Squad Episode 11 (Japanese dub as far as I know) Shiratori Manjuu was a popular place where they made and sold their famous manjuu in the shape of (you guessed it) whitebirds.

5\. Gavin Eddy: Yes, this guy is real (he's some entrepreneur) and he did say those were the four P's to a good business. I do weird research.

~X~

 _For some reason, every chapter I write ends up being way longer than the previous one. Then again, I only wrote three chapters. But still, this one was about 1000 words longer than Chapter 2. Sorry if you hate long chapters! And..._

 _Can I also apologize for always ending my chapters with cliffhangers? Sorry... Don't forget to review if you can!_


	4. The Ugly Truth

**A/N:** _First of all, sorry for the seemingly slower update. I might've posted this earlier, but if you read my recently updated profile, the chapter ended up coming out pretty long. So I had to split it (honestly, imagine a chapter about 10 000 words long, some authors do five chapters with that!) so it may seem this chapter is slighter shorter than Chapter 3 (you may shed tears of joy or sadness for that). Also, I kept going back rereading this and not liking the way I put it, so...yeah. So because of this, most of Chapter 5 is done as well, and I was originally going to post 4 & 5 together, but that would've taken a few more days and didn't want you guys to have to wait any longer! So it's here now, and Chapter 5 may come in just a few days' time, though you guys may hate me for it after you read this chapter...you'll see what I mean._

 _Once again, **Zero Unit RGB** inspired me for what classes MOST of the Chosen are in (yes, I asked for his permission). BTW, in Japan, lunch normally starts at 12:30 and usually ends at 1:10. Also, I stopped putting the same date at the beginning each chapter 'cause you already know it's the same day. When the day changes I'll put the date._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters. You probably guessed that much about me already._

 _With that, I hope you guys enjoy, so let's get on with the story!  
_

 _P.S. Please read my important note at the end of this chapter._

~X~

 **Chapter 4: The Ugly Truth**

Magnamon, as with his other fellow Royal Knights, were in confusion. The enemy, on the other hand, seemed to be trembling with rage.

Magnamon noticed that the other eight jars in Omnimon's possession were still pulsing steadily, while all the others had been downed and were now simply empty. The Digimon who had drunk the strange fluid didn't seem any different, but that was only from looking at them. Magnamon could only imagine what it would be like to drink someone's memories.

And that was only accounting if the liquid _was_ their partners' memories.

His thoughts were quickly averted as two figures came appearing through the ceiling, as if the 'ceiling' wasn't really there. Blackmont Castle hadn't ceased to surprise him yet. From the intricate design, to doors that appeared and disappeared, and now to illusionary walls, their enemy was quite creative. Creative and powerful.

And that was proving to be dangerous.

As Magnamon got a better look at the two Digimon, he recognized both their faces; and one of them was not what he expected.

"Dynasmon!" Omnimon exclaimed. "And…Jesmon?!"

Magnamon felt surprised at seeing their friend and Knight who he barely ever saw. He didn't know where Jesmon had gone the whole time (and this was a _long_ time), but whatever had happened, he was here now.

As one, the black cats turned to face the two newcomers with blood-red eyes. _**"I see you have managed to escape from the others,"**_ they hissed at Dynasmon and Jesmon. _**"But this is where it all ends."**_

Abruptly, their surroundings warped and changed, until Magnamon realized they were not in the metallic room anymore but in what seemed like a large field stretching out for quite a while—only the ground was littered with stones, and the field ended to create rounded walls and a vaulted ceiling.

 _ **"This is where you end,"**_ the enemy snarled. _**"ATTACK!"**_

Magnamon, Omnimon, Gallantmon, Dynasmon, and Jesmon were all at the frontline to receive the enemy's attacks, shielding most of the Digimon from harm. Except themselves.

"Wait!" Magnamon called. "Keep them together so I can take them out in one blow!"

"It won't be that easy!" Dynasmon protested, but he complied nonetheless. With their combined efforts, the Royal Knights herded the felines into a confined group. The cats didn't even seem to be struggling against them. They almost moved in _amusement_ , it seemed. Seeing this was the chance he needed, even though he had a bad feeling about this, Magnamon readied his attack as his whole body shined gold.

"Magna Blaster!"

Golden light engulfed the blackness as the black cats exploded into white mist. But a few seconds later, they started to reform once again. "Impossible!" Magnamon gasped.

"The same happened when I attacked the enemy back in the corridor," Gallantmon recalled.

Jesmon called out to them, "I have sent Atho to find the rest. Examon, Gankoomon, and Alphamon should be with them as well."

Magnamon had no time to contemplate this as the enemy hurled themselves at them, all tooth and fang.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **1st Year Class, Rm 101, 12:30**

After checking what classes they were in, Henry found himself knowing nobody in the room. His friends were all in other classes.

So for now, Henry was mostly paying attention on how to make new friends in his class.

It was lunchtime now, and the teacher Yushio-sensei insisted on them getting to know one another better, after introducing their names back in first period.

In front of Henry, he saw two boys eating and conversing to each other, both with raven-hair. One of them was speaking at the moment. In the middle of his sentence the boy paused, noticing Henry watching them. "Um...hello," he said, seemingly slightly timid. "You introduced yourself as…" He struggled to remember.

"Henry, I think," the other boy replied.

"Yes," Henry nodded. "And you two are…"

"My name is Koichi," said the boy who had been originally speaking. The other soon followed his introduction. "I'm Ken."

"Nice to meet you two," replied Henry. At least the conversation was going _some_ where.

"Do you have other friends here?" asked Koichi, "because that was what we were just talking about."

"Yeah, I came to school with some," replied Henry. "We were friends since elementary school. They're in the other classes though."

"Same with us," said Ken. "Maybe they're in the same classes as one another."

"Probably," agreed Henry. He thought for a moment, then asked, "What are their names?"

"Well, Koji and Zoë are in Room 103..." Koichi began. "And Takuya, he's in 106. I also have a friend named JP, but he's a year older than us."

"Koji and Koichi," Ken mused. "Your names sound alike."

Koichi blushed slightly. "Yes, they are, aren't they? I forgot to mention…Koji's my younger twin."

"You have a twin?" Henry asked. He thought of his younger and two older siblings, Suzie, Rinchei, and Jaarin, respectively. "That must be nice."

Koichi nodded, his posture suddenly drooping a little. He abruptly asked, "So, are any of your friends in those classes?" Henry noted his change in subject but didn't pursue it any further.

"Well…I have a friend a year older too," said Ken. Henry didn't know if Koichi caught the slight reddening in Ken's cheeks. "Her name is Yolei. But other than that, my friends TK and Kari are both in 103 as well, but Davis is in 107..."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Henry smiled. "My friend Kazu is in 107, like Davis. Kenta is also in 106, just like Takuya. Rika and Jeri are in 103, like Koji, Zoë, Kari, and TK. And I also have a friend named Takato, however he's in 104..."

"104?" a brunette asked, looking up from her food. All three boys turned to find her sitting not too far from them, just a few desks down. "My friend Keenan's in 104. I'm hoping he can make some new friends, because he seemed pretty nervous today. Maybe he's met Takato."

"Maybe," Henry said, marvelling at how easily the girl had joined in their conversation. "At least I know Takato might not be alone. I never caught your name, by the way."

"It's Kristy," the brunette answered. "You were saying about your friends?"

Henry remembered he had forgotten one of them. "Right, I never mentioned one of them. He's one year older than us, like JP and Yolei you two were mentioning earlier. His name's Ryo."

At this, Ken started, his eyes flickering in shock, as he stumbled in his chair and nearly fell off if Koichi and Henry hadn't been there to catch him. He was taking ragged breaths, and for a moment, Henry was worried for the other boy. He had never seen someone react like that...to a _name_. Koichi and Kristy looked equally stunned. "R-Ryo?" Ken finally sputtered after he had gotten his breathing somewhat regulated.

Feeling slightly wary, Henry responded, "Yes, Ryo. Ryo Akiyama. Do you two know each other?" He was aware of Koichi and Kristy watching curiously.

Ken hesitated a moment before answering, his eyes shining with sudden confusion. "N-No…I must have just heard his name somewhere…"

Henry knew that that probably wasn't the case, but Ken looked legitimately puzzled, and feeling a sudden awkwardness forming between the four of them, Koichi rushed to change the subject again. "Well then, if our friends happen to meet in their classes, maybe we could all hang out together some time."

"Yeah," Ken muttered, still looking distant, while Henry nodded. "Yes, I think that'd be nice." But Henry still couldn't shake Ken's reaction from his mind.

 _I'll ask Ryo at the end of the day._

* * *

Atho led Alphamon and the rest through a series of staircases winding around and around, some steps small, others big that they had to watch with cautious eyes or they'd surely stumble. As they were hurrying in their fast gait, Alphamon decided now was the time to explain.

"Before we came here, the Sovereigns had sent Examon, Gankoomon, Jesmon, and I across the whole Digital World to stop a growing threat that had started from many years ago."

"Wait," said Craniamon, "as I recall, you do not normally appear under normal circumstances. To put it, do you not remain…ah, aloof?"

"Except those were not normal circumstances," Alphamon responded darkly. "I appeared a few years back to assist the three in seeking a darkness which radiated a strange power like no other. Back then, you would have called what we were seeking a mere seedling compared to…this." Alphamon waved his hands as he jogged to indicate their surroundings. "Indeed, it has grown stronger than ever."

"So where were we when all of this took place?" asked Leopardmon.

"Back then, I believe you were getting familiar with some of the Chosen," reminded Examon. "The Data Squad members, if I am correct."

"That was four years ago," UlforceVeedramon gasped, "when we were working for King Drasil. Are you saying that four years ago this darkness we see before us was just beginning to rise?"

"Yes," Gankoomon said heavily. "Even then, it gave an aura of great power, though seemingly small, we assumed. We could never guess it could...or _would_...have the potential to become such as the largest threat the Multiverse has ever faced."

"But you still did not explain what you were doing," Crusadermon pointed out.

"There is a place," Alphamon began, "where the Sovereigns said they sensed a strange power radiating from there, and told us to seek it out to see what it was and if it could possibly pose as an imminent threat. This area is located in the far reaches of the Digital World, where possibly only the Sovereigns until they told us, know about. It is a crossroads, you could call it, or even gateway, connecting every single universe to one another. If you would like a name, the Sovereigns had referred to it as Junction."

"So then what happened over there that made the Sovereigns ask you to seek out Junction?" Leopardmon asked.

"As we neared the area, we could feel it right away," Examon said grimly. "The same voice that we feel coming from this castle was leaking out of Junction. A darkness surrounding the gateway, wanting to be loose. It seemed to have been escaping bit by bit for quite a while now, ever so slowly…biding its time. Now, after many years, it seems to have gathered enough power to rave cities and places we see today in the Digital World."

"So the enemy has now shown himself," Craniamon said in a hushed whisper. "Just how powerful is it?"

"More than we could ever imagine," said Alphamon gravely. "The four of us could not get much closer, as if we were pushed back by some force surrounding Junction. If this enemy is really as powerful as it seems, then when in its own domain, for example here, it has the power to manipulate objects and warp time by sheer will, from creating areas seemingly not there…"

Alphamon thought of the illusionary wall.

"…to making what seems like minutes in here hours in reality. It seems to be calling itself darkness itself, but as to whether this is true or not..."

Alphamon noticed all the Knights tense up at this.

"…none of us really know."

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **1st Year Class, Rm 103, 12:32**

Zoë was still a little fed up by Takuya's tardiness, but she'd mostly let it go. They had all managed to make it to OH by 8:30, not a moment too soon. Before long, they had all figured out what classes they were in, and no teachers had flagged them down as 'late'. Thankfully.

She kind of felt bad Takuya and Koichi, who were in Room 106 and 101 respectively. At least Zoë had Koji as someone she knew, but then again, his grumpy nature didn't really help. Since it was lunchtime, while eating, she decided it would be a good moment to make acquaintances with other people.

Zoë glanced around the room until she noticed a girl sitting on her right with brown hair talking with a blond-haired boy sitting right beside her. The girl had her back to Zoë, but the boy noticed her watching. The girl seemed to have noticed the guy's attention had been moved elsewhere, so she turned around to come face-to-face with Zoë. Zoë almost expected the girl to be angry at her for disrupting the conversation, but instead the brunette smiled.

"Hello," she said warmly. "I'm Kari, and this is TK." She indicated the blond.

 _Well, she's better than Koji._ "I'm Zoë," she smiled back. "And this—" she said, pointing behind her (technically the seat to her left), "—is Koji." She leaned in close. "He may seem to give you the cold shoulder, but once you get to know him he's actually a real softie." The two girls snickered, while TK gave a half-smile.

"I hope you know I can hear perfectly fine," Koji said coolly, leaning back in his chair while bringing his hands up behind his head.

"Really? That's good to know, I was just checking." The two laughed harder. Zoë felt a wind pick up in the classroom even though she was pretty sure the windows were all closed.

Zoë noticed another brunette two seats behind her watching them. When she noticed Zoë look back at her, she seemed shy of doing so, looking away slightly but with a smile. She seemed nice enough.

Beside her was a redhead who looked the complete opposite of her. The way she sat and didn't really smile kind of reminded Zoë of Koji.

The brunette said something to the other girl, who merely shrugged in response, going back to her eating. A few seconds later, the brunette walked up to the group. Zoë decided to make the first move.

"Hello," she said. Back in elementary school, she hadn't been very good with people and often more than not she couldn't really make friends with the other girls. Shortly after she had made friends with Takuya and the others, she had found it easier. What had happened between the time before she had met Takuya and the others to the time after, she didn't know. She didn't really care either because all that mattered was that whatever it was, it had certainly been for the better.

"I'm Zoë."

Kari followed kindly after. "I'm Kari." Sitting beside her, TK leaned back in his chair slightly and raised his hand a little. "TK."

After casting a quick glance at Koji, Zoë kicked his knee hard. He gritted his teeth for a fraction of a second, something only Zoë caught, but took his hands off behind his head. "Koji," he grunted without smiling.

The brunette, nonetheless, looked quite cheerful anyways. "I'm Jeri. The girl back there..." She pointed at the redhead who still wasn't smiling. "...her name's Rika. She may not seem the friendliest of people, but that's before you get to know her. Rika, come on!"

Zoë watched Rika reluctantly get out of her seat, having already finished her food, and walk up beside Jeri. She simply nodded an acknowledgment at the others, still looking stiff. Zoë looked from Koji to Rika. "Well, you two make quite a pair."

Jeri's lips twitched into another smile. "Does he intimidate others and make them run away?"

Rika snorted. "At least those people would have the sense to run away, unlike some other idiots I have to deal with every day."

Koji looked at her, then to Jeri, then responded sarcastically, "If we're so jarringly intimidating, then I'm quite surprised you haven't all fled the second you saw us." He rolled his eyes.

Zoë raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't run away if all the threats I get are your superior powers of hearing." TK, Kari, Jeri, and Zoë all burst out laughing, while Rika just stood there with a slight smirk on her face, and Koji was left to think of a better comeback.

* * *

Hawkmon felt strange.

He was seeing images of things he knew—things that had happened to him—only in his partner Yolei's point of view.

It was strange, feeling the things she had felt, seeing how she had first seen him, Hawkmon, for the first time…the confusion, the excitement, the uncertainty of her being the right person for his partner. It all felt so strange.

This probably proved that the fluid in those jars _had_ been their partners' memories…how that even worked out as possible, Hawkmon didn't know. But he hadn't drunk it out of pure randomness. He fleetingly wondered if the other Digimon who had drunk from their jars experienced what he had experienced right before that moment.

He remembered the visit, and the news that was delivered... He couldn't stop thinking that even if he somehow did make it back to the Real World that he wouldn't be able to go see Yolei or...

He didn't want to dwell on it any longer than he already had

The most important thing for now was the battle raging in front of him. The Royal Knights had managed to push the enemy away from all the Digimon to the area quite a distance away in front of them. This chamber was so huge it could fit two...what did they call it in the Real World?...soccer fields in here, only with a stony ground and round walls...and super high ceiling. But even from the how far the Royal Knights were from the Digimon, Hawkmon could see that they were losing.

Slowly, but inevitably, they were being pushed back by the horde of blackness, despite the enemy taking hit after hit and exploding into mist every few seconds. The cats had always managed to come back to life again with renewed vigour.

"They're losing, aren't they?" the Digimon named Calumon asked, his ears shrinking.

"Moumantai," said Terriermon, but his face betrayed his playful voice. "They'll figure it out."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm right about to go jump in with them!" Shoutmon yelled, hefting his microphone.

"Don't keep all the fun to yourself!" shouted a Gumdramon. "If you're gonna fight, then I'll be right beside you!"

They were interrupted when the whole horde of cats suddenly started screeching in everyone's minds, causing everyone to clutch their heads. The felines took this moment to latch on and climb onto the Knights, so that all they looked like were writhing masses. And that's when luck decided to fly in. Literally.

"Avalon's Gate!" Hawkmon heard a _whoosh_ as a huge figure streaked above them, striking hard on the enemy, who had not expected an aerial attack. But the cavern's ceiling was quite high, and it seemed that even the enemy's plans could be flawed. _But who is that?_

"Examon! That means the others are here!" Jesmon cried as he threw the felines off him, as if to answer Hawkmon's question. Suddenly, a glowing Digimon appeared beside Jesmon, only to side with two other similar glowing Digimon.

Jesmon addressed them. "Atho, René, Por! Together now! Tekken Seibai!" Jesmon and his companions were a whirlwind of colour, slashing their opponents to pieces.

"Shield of the Just!" Gallantmon bellowed with renewed hope as the masses of cats stopped climb imbuing on the Knights. His shield began to glow until it shot a beam of light right through the enemy's lines. But as quick as they were destroying them, they continued reforming. Relentlessly.

"Seiken Gradalpha!" A blast of light exploded a major portion of the dark mob as Hawkmon saw a black soldier-like Digimon with a blue mantle race from behind them and stab through a group of moving blackness. He felt instant surprise at seeing the figure.

 _That can't be…but it is! Alphamon…and the other Royal Knights!_ He glanced behind him. A little ways up on the wall a rectangular hole showed where these new forces could have come through. Hawkmon knew none of the Digimon would want to take the lead for escape. They would all no doubt about it stay here and fight, even if they were tired, worn, and hungry.

Alphamon turned around and walked up to the crowded Digimon with Crusadermon, UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, and Leopardmon, as Gankoomon went off to join his fellow comrades in battle.

"I believe these are your partners'," Alphamon said, motioning UlforceVeedramon, Craniamon, and Leopardmon forward, who were carrying, Hawkmon could see, a variety of Digivices. He noticed Craniamon carrying a red D-3. _There's Yolei's!_

The three Knights laid out all the Digivices in front of the Digimon, along with two Digieggs, beside eight remaining jars still full, where Omnimon had set them before he had gone to fight. Alphamon nodded to all the waiting Digimon as slowly, they each picked up their partners' Digivice.

Hawkmon took Yolei's D-3 in his hand (or wing). When they were done, there were eight remaining, six of the same model, one a different model, and the other also different from the rest. Alphamon looked at four remaining Digimon, who hadn't moved to take one.

"Are none of these your partners' Digivices?" Alphamon asked Calumon, Kudamon, Kamemon, and a Biyomon. Not Sora's Biyomon, Hawkmon noted.

Kudamon and Kamemon shook their heads, while the Biyomon simply stated, "Kristy doesn't have a Digivice," and Calumon said, "I don't have a partner."

"So then, I am assuming these eight Digivices correspond to the eight jars," Alphamon considered. UlforceVeedramon, Leopardmon, and Craniamon had already left to assist their fellow comrades, to push back the remaining forces, which probably meant _all_ the forces; none of the enemy had been managed to be destroyed.

This time, Crusadermon came up to the Digimon, holding twelve little necklaces, it seemed, up. "I believe these belong to some of your partners as well."

"Are those…the Crests?" Gabumon gasped.

"They were destroyed by Apocalymon…weren't they?" Biyomon asked.

"That is what we thought as well," said Crusadermon. "But…they seem to be here now."

"Tai's is the Crest of Courage!" said Agumon. Crusadermon handed him the orange Crest.

"Matt's is the Crest of Friendship," Gabumon said. He received the blue one. As the Digimon said which Crest their partner owned, Crusadermon handed it out to them.

"Izzy's is Knowledge," said Tentomon. Purple.

"Sora's is Love," said Biyomon. Red.

"Mimi has Sincerity," Palmon said. Green.

"Joe's is Reliability," said Gomamon. Grey.

"TK has Hope," said Patamon. Yellow.

"Kari has Light," Gatomon said. Pink.

"Ken's is Kindness," said Wormmon. Lavender.

"Now, hang on a minute, whoshe are the other three Creshts for?" Veemon asked.

"If I am correct, the gold Crest is of Miracles, the turquoise is for Wisdom, and the magenta for Passion," replied Crusadermon.

"Those three must belong to Davis, Cody, and Yolei," Patamon said. But then he noticed the other Digimon around him and reconsidered. "I mean…I'm pretty sure…"

"Davish can ushe the Digiegg of Miracles," Veemon stated proudly. "The Cresht of Miracles musht be for him!"

Crusadermon gave the golden Crest over to Veemon, who took it and put it around his neck, as the others had.

"I've never heard of the Crests of Wisdom or Passion before," Tentomon mused. "How do we know whom they're for?"

"Yolei's is Passion," Hawkmon proclaimed at the same time Armadillomon said defensively, "Wisdom is definitely for Cody!"

"How do you know?" Agumon asked.

The two paused. Then they both answered in unison, "I just do."

As Crusadermon gave the two remaining Crests to Hawkmon and Armadillomon, Gatomon speculated, "But if you think about it, it works: Yolei is always passionate about everything, and Cody, he's wiser beyond his years…"

They were all interrupted by a sudden shriek as the voice returned in their minds.

 _ **"You are losing, yet you fail to give up. Surrender now, and things will surely be easier."**_

Alphamon turned to the direction of the fighting right in front of them. "Then it seems you underestimate us!" He turned to the Digimon. "You may stay here if you would like. Are any of you at strength right now?"

"I've got some fighting power still left in me!" Shoutmon said. He turned to a Ballistamon, a Dorulumon, a Sparrowmon, a Damemon, and a Greymon. "What about you guys?"

"We've got your back," Dorulumon growled.

"Us too!" Gumdramon motioned to a Dracumon, an Opossumon, and a Dobermon. "Let's go, you guys!"

It seemed the other Digimon were about to join them, giving their agreement, when suddenly the Digieggs began to glow, as did the eight Digivices. Hawkmon turned to Shoutmon and his companions, to see the Digivices they were holding glowing as well.

"So can anyone tell me exactly what's happening now?" Ballistamon beeped as he gazed down at the light blue Digivice in his hands. Along with him, Shoutmon, Dorulumon, Damemon, Gumdramon, Dracumon, Opossumon, and Dobermon's Digivices they had been holding (Dobermon had been holding it by his teeth) started glowing as well.

"Leopardmon mentioned a barrier on those Digivices before," Alphamon gasped. "But it seems to be breaking…only, how…?"

Hawkmon noticed the liquid from the eight jars also growing brighter and brighter, as did the Digivices and Digieggs, until a cracking sound could be heard, and Hawkmon finally saw Digimon emerging—not just from the two Digieggs, but from the _Digivices_ , it seemed, too. Only...the Digimon from the Digivices, Hawkmon could now see, weren't _solid_ , or even opaque, but we're actually semi-transparent.

As all the watching Digimon suddenly stood there, gawking, a Lalamon finally decided to break the silence.

"Well, you don't see that every day. Now someone tell us other Digimon…what exactly is a Crest?"

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **1st Year Class, Rm 104, 12:35**

Keenan felt a little out of place in the classroom, though he didn't know why. Maybe it was partly because Kristy wasn't with him, she was in 101, but he felt like there was another reason. A reason he couldn't remember.

He didn't exactly feel that hungry, so he glanced around to see if there was anyone he could make friends with. Everyone had already introduced themselves first period, but Keenan didn't exactly remember all the names.

At his right, there was a brown-haired boy drawing in a notebook instead of eating. It seemed to be a red lizard of some sort, but the boy seemed to be putting incredible detail into.

"Nice drawing," Keenan tried. The brunet looked up and noticed him watching him. He blushed slightly, a slight smile coming to his face. "Thanks," he said, somewhat shyly.

"What is it?" Keenan asked.

The boy paused, somewhat flustered. "Gee, I'm not…I'm not that sure. I just felt like drawing and this…came up."

"It's really detailed."

"Well…I've been sketching since elementary school, so…"

"That makes sense. I forgot to ask…what's your name?"

The boy smiled and held out a hand. "Takato. And you?"

Keenan felt some of the tension leave him. _A good start, I guess._ He took Takato's hand and shook it. "Keenan."

* * *

Kazemon had felt unusually confined in Zoë's D-Tector. Before, it would have just been the feeling of staying inside but still being able to contact the outside world. But for the past Kazemon-didn't-know-how-long, that connection had been broken somehow, as if something were blocking it. All she could feel was herself and Zephyrmon, trapped for quite awhile…

But now, she could feel that barrier crumbling, as she somehow felt someone's presence close to her, assuring her.

 _Zoë's presence._

Kazemon didn't know how that could be, because the last thing she remembered was someone—some new _enemy_ —having erased Zoë and the others' memories.

So how could she feel Zoë here?

Whatever the case, she felt drawn to that feeling, so ever so slowly, Kazemon emerged as a Spirit out of the D-Tector, Zephyrmon following suite. As she looked at her surroundings, she found herself in a huge cavern, huge being a major understatement.

What surprised Kazemon the most, though, was when she noticed ten other Spirits looking around as well…and two Fresh level Digimon. They looked like they had just hatched. They were both little Punimon, but were repeating different names.

"Jeri? Jeri! JE-RI!"

"Ryou-ma...RYOUMA!"

"Did you two just hatch?" Kazemon saw Agunimon lean down and ask in a soft voice. Behind him was BurningGreymon, flaming up, yelling, "Takuya? Where is he?!" It didn't seem out of concern but more like anger, Kazemon noted. She went over beside Agunimon.

"Jeri?" one of the Punimon squeaked innocently.

"No, Ryouma!" The other disagreed.

"Yup, those two just hatched," Lobomon muttered gruffly.

Suddenly Kumamon came up to all of them. "Did anyone else notice that everything's stopped?"

Kazemon, Agunimon, and Lobomon abruptly diverted their attention to look around them again. Now that she looked carefully, it seemed like a battle had been going on.

On one end of the large cavern just a few metres to Kazemon's left, it seemed that…what, the Royal Knights?...were battling against some black-furred felines. They all had glowing red eyes.

And they weren't moving. Some cats were even suspended midair, claws outstretched. Some of the Royal Knights had their weapons up, as if getting ready to attack.

At Kazemon's right, was a group of Rookie level Digimon along with two more Royal Knights, it seemed, staring at…them? Their eyes were definitely on them, but they were all frozen, some with their mouths (or jaws) hanging open.

Kazemon turned to look in front of her where Zephyrmon was staring at a jar with a bright violet liquid inside. As Kazemon walked up and got closer, she noticed the fluid getting brighter and brighter that she could barely read the small plaque under it: _Zoë Orimoto._

She noticed the other Spirits getting closer to the other jars lying on the ground. Even the two Punimon had gone to two of them. Feeling a slight hunch, Kazemon reached out her senses. Sure enough, she could feel Zoë's presence radiating from the jar. But how?

Suddenly the light became blinding, until Kazemon wasn't in the vaulted chamber anymore.

She was…floating, it seemed, beside Zephyrmon, in a violet plumed background, where the swirls of the same colour danced around them, giving her a sense of calm. It was then that Kazemon noticed the figure in front of them, standing it seemed, on nothing, yet translucent.

"Zoë," Zephyrmon stated, surprisingly calm, "why are you here?" _More like how are you here,_ thought Kazemon.

"It is not really me," the supposed Zoë replied. "I am more of her Inner Conscience, if you will. The voice that is surprisingly reasonable compared to the outer personality. IC for short. But that isn't the point. We do not have much time to speak, and there are some things that you should know."

"What is it?" Kazemon asked, feeling bad news coming.

"As you are probably already aware of, Zoë, or my Outer Conscience, has lost all memory of you and the Digital World, in simplest terms, all the adventures that had transpired that associate with Digimon," Zoë's IC began. "The place you and I are being held in is in the enemy's territory. But in this area lies a Portal to the Real World. I believe the Royal Knights you have encountered intend to take you through that Portal."

Kazemon felt a little confused with where this was going, but Zephyrmon beat her to the question. "You're telling us all of this, but you're trying to get at something else. What is it?"

"When you arrive in the Real World—" _If we arrive in the Real World,_ Kazemon corrected, thinking back to the frozen battle scene. "—you may have the urge to find Zoë, or me, and try and make her remember."

"Yes," said Kazemon as Zephyrmon nodded her agreement. "Are you requesting that we try?"

Zoë's IC's face suddenly became deadly serious—maybe even...sad? "No," she said softly. "Quite the opposite. When you arrive in the Real World, at all costs, you must avoid letting Zoë see you."

Kazemon jerked in surprise. She felt Zephyrmon giving off the same feeling because she asked, "Why ever not? What would happen if she saw us?"

Even though she was translucent, Kazemon could still see the pain on the Inner Conscience's face.

"She could die."

* * *

 _Whoa. We just got major news. The Digimon find out they have the chance to go to the Real World to find their human friends only to know that they could die if_ _they see them? Ouch. The truth really is ugly. And what was with Ken's reaction to hearing Ryo? And was it a TOTAL coincidence that all the Chosen who are in the_ _same classes just happen to meet each other? Or is something bigger going on here that nobody is aware of yet? Heh, just had to throw that question out, but you're just gonna have to read the next chapter of_ Digimon: The Worlds' Last Hope _!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Royal Knights and King Drasil: I am aware that Frontier (Season 4) had the Royal Knights Dynasmon and Crusadermon, but they were evil anyway, and were deleted by Lucemon (to have their fractal codes taken by him), so the Royal Knights in my fic are from Data Squad (Season 5). At the beginning, they seemed to be bad, sure, but back then they thought humans were evil until they found out they weren't (after Marcus and the others stopped the Digital World from falling on them, but that's a different story). Just wanted to clear that up for you guys in case you were confused.

2\. Moumantai: Relax, Chill, Chillax (okay, but seriously though, it basically means calm down). Terriermon said this a lot in the Japanese dub. It's sorta like...Hakuna Matata. Lion King references... ;)

3\. Tekken Seibai: Furrow-Sword Judgment. Carved the opponent to pieces with the blades on its arms while moving at high speed. Digimon Wiki reference.

4\. Punimon and Ryouma: For those of you who have watched Hunters, you'll know Ryouma's partner didn't die in the end and I'm aware of that, too. You'll just have to keep reading and it will eventually be explained.

5\. Veemon's lisp: It's been a while since I heard Veemon's English dubbed voice. Did I do his lisp okay?

~X~

 _So yeah, hope you guys don't hate me for leaving you with a major cliffhanger. Again. And also, if you guys don't know what a Digimon looks like, PLEASE just search it up on Google. A full-length legit description of it put into my story 1) takes up a lot of space and 2) doesn't even come close to the full epicness of how that Digimon looks like unless you actually SEE it. The only time I'll give you a full-length description is if I made the Digimon up, which I'd tell you guys at the end of the chapter. So, with that..._

 ****IMPORTANT NOTE:** _From now on, if you guys have any questions and leave it in the form of a review, my answers will be posted on my profile along with your original question. THIS ONLY APPLIES IF YOU ARE A GUEST. IF NOT, I'LL PM YOU. Thank you all for your time, and don't forget to review if you can!_ ******

 _And I'll see you in Chapter 5!_


	5. A Battle Worth Fighting?

**A/N:** _Hey, guys! Once again, this chapter came out_ way _longer than expected (over 2900 words longer than Chapter 3!) so that may be why it took a few extra days' time. Also, I kept going back and changing things. Thank you for your patience! This would've been posted hours earlier but technology decided to fail on me, and all the edits I had done (that took hours) were deleted and I had to restart. :( But when I thought about you guys, it pushed me to keep writing._

 _Reminder: I now answer all questions on my profile (IF YOU ARE A GUEST). I'll delete them after a few weeks-months have passed._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters. If I did, I'd make this a TV show. Maybe even a movie series. Well, that's that. Hope you enjoy, so let's get on with the story!_

~X~

 **Chapter 5: A Battle Worth Fighting?**

The words echoed ominously in the peaceful background. _"She could die."_

"How is that even possible?" Kazemon asked in a horrified whisper. Zephyrmon felt equally unsettled by this news.

"I don't know," the translucent form of Zoë replied. "It is more at an instinctive level. However…"

Their surroundings abruptly flickered, switching back to the huge cavern before coming back to the violet background again. Zoë's form seemed to becoming more and more transparent. Her voice came out, distantly but urgently, "I am sorry, but we do not have any more time. But you must know there is still a way…"

"For them to remember?" Kazemon said quickly. "What is it?"

"The other Digimon with you…know who to go to…" Zephyrmon could now only catch words. "But first…must…drink it...absorb it…both of you…"

"Drink it?" Zephyrmon repeated. "Do you mean the…?" She trailed off, realizing what, even though it made no sense. _The liquid._ Now that she thought about it, she _had_ felt Zoë's presence coming from the fluid. That must have caught Kazemon's attention to the jar as well. But before Zephyrmon could ask more on the matter, Zoë's IC had already fully dissolved, the violet backdrop having disappeared to show the cavern again.

As Zephyrmon tried to get her bearings straight again, she noticed her other fellow Spirits, Human and Beast, were there, too, as well as the two Punimon. She heard the sounds of battle resuming on her left.

But she didn't focus on that. She _couldn't_ focus on that. Instead, she extended a hand out to the jar, unsure of how exactly she could 'drink' it. Kazemon was beside her. Zephyrmon was aware of all the other Spirits and two Fresh level Digimon beside their own jars.

Just then, two twin tendrils of violet light erupted from the top of the jar, intertwined with each other until they split apart to strike Zephyrmon and Kazemon in their hearts. Or where their hearts would be (as a Spirit).

Zephyrmon saw the same thing happening to the other Spirits, only the beams of light were of different colours. But she was more so focused on the rush of sensations she felt as a strange feeling coursed through her. She saw images playing out in her mind, images that didn't belong to her. They belonged to _Zoë_. It was as if Zephyrmon _were_ Zoë, and she had seen what she had seen, felt what she had felt.

She remembered first arriving at Fire Terminal on a Trailmon, not knowing where she was and with kids she didn't know. She remembered the awe at seeing the boy named Takuya, do something called Spirit Evolve, into a Digimon named Agunimon, and then when the loner called Koji had done it, and then when the youngest of them, Tommy, had too.

Then she remembered the feeling of meeting her _own_ Human Spirit, Kazemon herself, and how thrilling it was. And what it was like when she found out that she could control her Beast Spirit Zephyrmon as well, and not go out of control like Takuya or Koji had.

She saw other images as well, blurring in the blink of an eye, until slowly they faded away, but not out of hindsight. Zephyrmon could still feel it, the memories of Zoë, as if, some small part of her, _was_ Zoë. Finally, she returned her attention elsewhere.

Zephyrmon saw that the jar was now empty, and the ray of violet light had stopped coming. Just then, a Patamon flew up, circling around them. "For a second, we saw you guys coming out of those Digivices over there," he noted, pointing at the D-Tectors and other two foreign ones in front of her a few metres away. "And the next, you guys are all the way over here. Did time stop for you guys too? Did someone visit you?"

Zephyrmon was about to answer when JägerLoweemon beat her to it. She had momentarily forgotten that the other Spirits had looked like they had probably just experienced the same thing. "Yes, actually," he rumbled low in his throat. "How did you know?"

"Because it seems that the same thing has happened to all of us," a Gaomon said. "We—or I, for one—was visited by my partner's Inner Conscience, it seems, and he told me—"

"—to drink," a Guardromon finished. "None of us know why exactly, but I don't believe that is of our problems right now. Should we not go and aid those fellow…Royal Knights, as you call them?"

Zephyrmon finally noticed the legendary Alphamon, who only ever appeared in times of great need. He cleared his throat suddenly. "It seems a lot has just happened without our enemy being aware. I do not believe they expected you to be…visited…by your partners." As if on cue, a voice spoke to them, a voice that Zephyrmon recognized to be the one that had spoken to them right before Zoë's memory had been stolen.

 ** _"_** ** _It seems some entities have slipped under us, but that does not seem to have increased your chances of winning against us."_**

 _Entities?_ thought Zephyrmon. _Inner Consciences count as entities?_

The Royal Knights that had been fighting against the black cats before were suddenly blasted away by a sudden dark explosion. They landed at the far end of the opposite side of the room. As the dust and haze cleared, Zephyrmon saw that the cats were not moving.

Instead, they were…melting.

Zephyrmon could almost hear the shrieks of them all, maybe even pitiful mewling, as their black fur melted off, revealing raw grey skin, which also seemed to be peeling off, much to Zephyrmon's disgust. The only body part that didn't seem to be affected were all the cats' eyes, little crimson slits slowly just slipping to the floor, as if they weren't connected to any nerves on the inside of their bodies. Zephyrmon didn't want to think of what all those creatures' _insides_ even looked like. If they had any.

She was mildly surprised to see herself still in a Spirit form, translucent and having no trouble staying that way. The only other time she could do this was when she was close to Zoë, her human host, or counterpart she wanted to say. Zephyrmon wondered whether this was because of the place itself, which seemed to reek of the dead, so that would explain why she was finding it easy to keep her form as a Spirit. Her attention was averted when she saw what was happening to the melted mass.

After every one of the cats had been liquefied into a sickening slimy black and grey mass with glowing red specks, it started to form, as if invisible hands were molding it into humanoid figure. Everyone was too revolted to do anything, some even confused by their enemy's intentions. Zephyrmon glanced a little ways behind her to look at Alphamon. He seemed to have noticed that whatever the enemy was planning would be even more dangerous, because he let out an attack.

"Seiken Gradalpha!" He rocketed forward, a shining magic circle appearing where he was about to go through it to stab the quickly forming enemy, when Gallantmon suddenly cried, "Alphamon, NO! It's too dangerous!"

But Alphamon had too much momentum as he came to stab the enemy, but instead of piercing it, even before he reached it, Zephyrmon noticed a blood-red spherical barrier flicker as it appeared into sight as Alphamon hit it. He rebounded roughly, but being quite a powerful Mega, skidded backwards on his feet. Now with the knowledge that there was a barrier stopping them from doing anything, all the Digimon could do was watch.

And wait.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **1st Year Class, Rm 106, 12:38**

It was lunchtime, and Kenta had already made friends.

In a way, the boy reminded him of Takato, wearing goggles just like him. On top of that, their names were similar too: the boy's name was Takuya. Kenta fleetingly wondered if they were related. Probably not.

But Takuya was loud and outgoing, while Takato was somewhat timid. Even so, they both had that determined mindset, especially back when…

Kenta's memory stopped there. He couldn't finish the thought. Takuya seemed to notice, since he suddenly asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Kenta shook his head. "Nothing really. It's just…do you ever get that feeling you should be remembering something but aren't?"

Takuya nodded. "I've been getting that feeling all day. Too bad we aren't forgetting things we _should_ be forgetting."

"Like what?"

"Isn't it obvious? School!"

They both high-fived and laughed, wishing it were true. But Kenta couldn't stop thinking that this feeling felt more important than school.

* * *

MarineAngemon was normally the silent type. Frankly, the only one that understood her was her partner Kenta, but it wasn't like he was here now, or would be. The only thing she had left of him was his rose and white D-Power and the memories she had drunk (on Kenta's IC's call). Not like it seemed to have any use, though.

Some of the other Digimon that were holding different devices seemed to be calling the huge new Digimon 'Royal Knights'. Other than that, she pretty much knew the names of them all.

At the moment, it seemed they were all hemmed in. Not only had it somehow created a barrier around itself while creating a new body, but after the other new Royal Knights had checked the hole in which they had arrived from, they had found that to be blocked as well. Now they were trapped against an unknown opponent, and MarineAngemon didn't know how long they would be able to hold it off after it had built its full body.

She also didn't really get the translucent ghost-like Digimon around them and it seemed to creep the other Digimon out too, except for the Royal Knights. So she guessed they were on their side. At the moment, Alphamon was talking quietly with the other Royal Knights. Some of their faces flicked with horror, as if receiving some sort of terrible news, while others' were neutral, like they'd already heard it.

Finally, Alphamon addressed everyone. "It seems that the only thing we can do now is fight." Some of the Digimon were nodding in agreement, even though they were hungry, as if they relished the thought of attacking the one that had erased their partners' memory.

Personally, MarineAngemon didn't really like fighting. If she could, she would've used her "Ocean Love" attack to kill their enemy's fighting spirit and heal her friends if they were harmed, but she was weak enough maintaining her Mega form.

MarineAngemon noticed Alphamon calling back the other Royal Knights once more as they started to converse privately. The other Digimon seemed to be still digesting the thought of fighting the huge beast still forming. It looked like Alphamon was telling the other Royal Knights something else, but all their faces remained expressionless with what he was saying, and they all nodded firmly, as if in resolve. Then they broke off.

At the moment, Alphamon spoke in his commanding voice. "The ones who can fly shall attack the enemy's head. The quick footed shall aim for the feet and legs, and the ones with long range attacks shall go for the midsection. Black and White PawnChessmon, protect the two Punimon, Calumon, and MarineAngemon." It looked like she wouldn't be fighting after all.

Despite all of the planning, MarineAngemon thought it wouldn't do much good, especially after the Royal Knights' first attempt with the normal-sized black cats. This monster was _huge_. She knew better. The Royal Knights wouldn't have let all the Digimon stay in here, especially the most vulnerable ones; it seemed Alphamon was having them _hold the enemy off_ , not defeat it...as if he were waiting for something.

Or someone.

MarineAngemon remembered what the ghostly Kenta had said to her: there was a Portal to the Real World here. What if Alphamon didn't intend to fight the…monstrosity…just for the sake of defeating the enemy? What if he simply wanted to keep the enemy distracted—while someone else went to look for the Portal? Someone who would eventually have to come back to look for the other Royal Knights, who should've found the Digimon by then, and so they could make a clean getaway to the Portal.

But with the enemy's perceptiveness, MarineAngemon considered, it would surely decide to follow them and stop them from going through to the Human World. But then that would mean—

MarineAngemon suddenly didn't like where the Royal Knights seemed to be thinking. It seemed that they had had an endgame strategy to begin with...one that they didn't want the other Digimon to know about. Probably because they'd never approve of it.

And that was _if_ MarineAngemon was right about it. But she was always right about what others thought; it was just that no one had ever been able to understand her to know her perceptiveness towards everything. Except Kenta, but he wasn't here.

All of this made MarineAngemon think just how important the Digimon and their partners were...and just how high the stakes were that the Royal Knights hadn't mentioned.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **1st Year Class, Rm 107, 12:41**

Kazu didn't really worry.

Sure, he didn't know anyone in his class, but that didn't stop him from _trying_ to know someone. And lunch, for him, was always the best time to do it. In fact he already ended up making friends with someone. His name was Davis. They had crashed into each other as they were walking into class for first period. As it was, they had both been a minute late, and had been running headlong for the doorway. But Kazu couldn't shake the feeling of déjà vu he had felt when he had first seen him.

 _They were both on the ground, and Davis was already starting to stand up, looking somewhat timid as he reached a hand down. "Hehe…sorry, guess I wasn't looking where I was going…"_

 _Kazu took his hand as he felt a strange tingling at the back of his mind. "No problem, I wasn't looking either." He paused, staring at him for a moment before saying, "I'm Kazu, by the way."_

 _Davis smiled, before saying, "Nice to crash into you. I'm Davis." The name had sent Kazu's mind reeling._

 _"_ _Davis?" he stuttered. For some reason the name disturbed him, and because of that, he asked the stupidest question. "What's your last name?"_

 _At his sudden inquiry, the Davis kid looked like he wanted to say something like, "I don't really tell that stuff to stalkers."_

 _Instead he replied, "Motomiya. You?"_

 _"_ _Shioda." Davis tried to act casual about it, tried to cover it up with a counter-question, but Kazu could already see a strange look forming on his face. For some reason, hearing Davis's last name made his head spin even more. But he didn't even_ know _the guy, they'd just met!_

"Hey, Kazu, you there?" Davis's voice brought him back to the present.

He smiled, trying to hide his unease. "Yup, right here." He stared at Davis again, wondering for the millionth time how he knew his name, or more importantly, how he recognized him, because he knew for certain that they had never met. Then again, he felt like he should have been remembering something all morning…he was really starting to go paranoid.

 _Maybe Rika shouldn't have punched me so hard._

* * *

Having the ability to fly, Falcomon would be attacking th head high up with Lalamon, while Agumon, Gaomon, Kudamon, and Kamemon would be fighting below. Black and White PawnChessmon would be protecting two Punimon, some Digimon named Calumon, and a MarineAngemon.

Falcomon didn't really get how this would help him to save Keenan, but then again, it would be his chance to lash out at the enemy who had stolen his partner's memory. It was strange to see recollections of things that didn't belong to him: living in the Digital World for most of his life, growing up with Digimon, that humans were bad, to the very end when he realized they weren't.

In a sense Falcomon felt like he was invading his partner's privacy, but according to the ghostly apparition that had visited him, if doing this was what it took to revive Keenan, then he wouldn't hesitate to do so. He was broken from his thoughts as the enemy suddenly started to speak again.

 ** _"_** ** _Have you finished your planning?"_** Its voice sounded mocking, almost laughing. **_"They are simply put in vain! If you would like to know, we are ready to play~!"_** It sang the last bit, as if taunting them all.

 _Play?_ thought Falcomon. _The enemy acts as if this is all a game._

Alphamon stepped forward. "Yes, we have finished planning and are ready to play as well." Some of the Digimon made moves of shock at Alphamon's ease with going along with the enemy.

 ** _"_** ** _Then by all means, let's start!"_** their foe laughed menacingly. There was a cracking sound, similar to the one Falcomon had heard when the so-called 'barrier' of those different Digivices had been broken. Then there were those Crests which he had no idea what they were for. He still kept Keenan's Data-Link with him snapping it on to his waist (somehow). It was quite light.

The humanoid was quite ugly—it was furry in some places but in others the flesh was exposed leaving a deathly grey colour, which looked to be slimy. All the cats' eyes had not been melted and instead were simply put all around the whole body, some eyes on its arms, legs, and even torso, not just on its face.

Though its face…it had three eyes on its head, two where a normal person's would be and the third in between, while the rest of its face was…a mouth with set after set of ghostly white teeth. Falcomon thought he could see a glowing red eye on the creature's black tongue. The fiend gave a roar that resonated in everyone's ears, in their minds and down to their very chests, as it rushed forward with incredible speed—its head was metres shy from the vaulted ceiling—and lashed out a foot at the front row of Digimon and Spirits (who were also fighting below) alike.

And with that, the fighting broke out as Falcomon launched himself into the air toward the ugly face and that gaping mouth.

He may as well have gone to a trip down hell's throat.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **2nd Year Class, Rm 202, 12:43**

Being in his second year, JP didn't feel really out of place. But there did seem to be a bunch of new faces that he wasn't familiar with. In particular, there was a guy that seemed to hold a lot of charm, earning a lot of stares—from the ladies in particular, JP noted. The boy wasn't too far away from him. Even so, JP got up and walked up to him, the brunet having noticed his approach.

"I see you've got some magic up your sleeve," JP muttered in his ear. "Ever find it hard to walk down the streets?"

"Sometimes," the boy mused, smirking a little. "That's why you learn to take the back allies."

"What's your secret?"

"The allies or—"

"You know what I mean."

"Don't have a secret," the boy replied. "They just come. Let me tell you, it isn't the greatest thing in the world."

"How so?" JP asked before he got smacked on the head.

"You know, it's funny how you talk about women as if they aren't there," fumed a violet-haired girl. She was holding a broom.

 _Wow, she hits hard,_ JP thought. In a sense, it kind of reminded him of Zoë and Takuya whenever he would step out of line. Now he knew how he felt.

"I don't find it amusing," JP groaned. "Especially if there's a broom involved."

"It's quite a solid way to get a message across," the girl said stiffly, but she seemed to have lightened up a little. "Now, I'm not going crazy in your face, am I?" She looked at the guy still sitting down.

"I didn't say _every_ girl was like that," the brunet said defensively. "I'm actually quite relieved when I find someone angry at me. Reminds me of Rika, it does."

"You already mention a girl's name when you never even said yours."

"I never heard anyone ask. It's Ryo, if you're wondering."

"Good for you. I'm Yolei." They both looked at JP. He realized he hadn't said his name. He was even more surprised that they'd actually noticed him after their conversation.

"Oh, well, I'm JP."

After both of them smiled at him, Yolei turned back to Ryo. "Who's Rika, by the way?"

Having nothing else to do, JP listened in on them. "Just some other friend of mine. She's a year younger than us. Most of my friends are a year younger than us. There's Rika, Takato, Henry, Kazu, Kenta…"

"Well, most of mine are a year younger too," said Yolei. "There's Davis, TK, Kari, Ken—"

Ryo's eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "Ken…Did you just say Ken?" JP noticed him gripping his fingers harder on his desk and his breath coming in short bursts.

"Y-Yeah…" Yolei looked baffled. "Ichijouji. You two friends already?"

"Uh…" JP noticed Ryo's look of confusion. "No, I must've heard his name from somewhere else…"

Yolei frowned slightly, then looked to JP. "What about you? Do you have any friends a year younger?"

"Yeah, actually. There's Takuya, Koji, Koichi, Zoë…and I've got a friend in his second year of junior high. His name's Tommy."

Yolei's eyes lit up. "I've got a friend that age too! His name's Cody."

"Really? We should all meet up one day," Ryo mused.

"Yeah," agreed JP. Yolei and Ryo seemed to have calmed from their initial conversation, but JP could tell they still felt disturbed by it. It wasn't his business anyway, though, so he shrugged the incident away.

* * *

Dorulumon barely dodged the swinging foot. He saw others trying to avoid it as well, but some of them didn't get so lucky.

 _Damn,_ he thought. _The thing's fast!_

He was at the frontline for at least a nanosecond and the outlandish beast had already proven it was more than any of them could handle. Without anyone to get them to DigiFuse, things would be getting ugly—fast. He still had Angie's orange Fusion Loader wrapped around his tail. Somehow.

It was as he launched himself up the monster's right leg that he realized what he had just thought: before, it would've been him, and him alone. Now, it seemed so long ago since he had met Mikey, Angie, Jeremy, and the others, and Angie had become his partner, that he realized he now relied on others. A strange change, that.

Dorulumon's claws scored on the creature's leg, revealing a slimy, bulbous grey substance. The _thing_ was getting closer to the circle of guards protecting the weak Digimon.

"Aim for a leg!" he shouted at the top of his lungs as he followed the instruction himself. He aimed at the exposed deathly skin. "Drill Bit Blitz!" The drills on his head deepened the cut as Dorulumon heard Shoutmon and Ballistamon level off their own attacks.

"Bellow Blaster!"

"Seismic Speaker!"

Still clinging to the monster's leg, Dorulumon felt it stagger slightly. He gracefully leapt off. If this creature did somehow miraculously topple over, he didn't want to be lucky enough to be under it when that happened.

Looking above, he noticed all the flying Digimon aiming for its head. He recognized Sparrowmon among them and…MailBirdramon? Where had he come from? Could he have been in Christopher's Fusion Loader and gotten out? Dorulumon was aware of Greymon still holding it, even as he let off another "Nova Blast!" at the enemy's stomach. Then he remembered who was still in Angie's Fusi—

The giant hand flew out of nowhere, and Dorulumon was surprised it could be swept this low on the ground. He didn't have time to evade it as it smacked him against a far wall.

For a moment, he felt nothing. Either he had lost consciousness or he was… No, he couldn't think of that. But he still couldn't feel anything, as if his soul had been severed from his body.

An image flashed fleetingly through his mind, slightly fuzzy. He was in a room with a bunch of kids in it. They were all eating… _he_ was eating. His eyes wandered around. He saw familiar faces: Ryouma, Ren, Hideaki. They were leaning over him. "Hey, Angie, you okay?" one of them asked.

 _Angie?_ he thought before the scene dissolved. A blinding pain replaced it, seeming to numb everything else, but he was aware of being on…stone or rock?...and someone was leaning over him, because there was a glowing…"Come on, wake up!"…Dorulumon _knew_ that voice. It was…the one he wanted to protect…wasn't he supposed to be in the Fusion Loader?... _"Dorulumon! Wake up!"_ Dorulumon opened his eyes.

"Cutemon?" he muttered. Sure enough, it was the little pink Digimon, his hands outstretched and glowing in a spot on Dorulumon's side. Cutemon was healing him. But the others…he tried looking on a little ahead, his sight slightly blurred, but beginning to clear. He could just make out the creature, being stymied by the combined efforts of all the Digimon, but ever so slowly, it was making progress. With all its power, though, it seemed to be making, as slow as it was, a breakaway for the other side.

That was where the Fresh level and weak Digimon were? Why would it be going there? Unless…

Was their enemy that cruel?

Dorulumon pulled himself up. Cutemon protested against it. "Not yet, Dorulumon! You aren't fully healed yet!"

"There's not going to _be_ anyone left to heal unless I go warn them," he replied. Cutemon, naturally, hopped up on its back. "Cutemon," he growled. "You know it's two dangerous."

"Like you're not in any danger already," Cutemon pouted. "I can heal you as you're running. Plus, it would be easier for you if I carried this." He held up the orange Fusion Loader, which made Dorulumon practically do a 180 with his head just to look behind him.

He sighed. "Look, I promise I'll be back. We'll be in the midst of the fighting if you're coming with me. I can't let you go into danger like that."

"Just like I can't let you go get hurt like that," whispered Cutemon. "Didn't we promise each other this? We'd look out for each other as you fought and I healed."

"But that was when we were looking for your parents." Dorulumon's patience was growing thin.

"Except there isn't a difference between then and now. I'm still as stubborn as you are, and you know I would've come along with you no matter how many times you said no."

Dorulumon knew the decision was final. Even as he was sprinting back to the battle with Cutemon on his back healing him, he couldn't help but wish to say:

 _Thanks for being here, Cutemon._ But he didn't.

~X~

Calumon kind of felt bad.

He wasn't really the fighting type of Digimon that actually had attacks that could hurt someone. So he felt quite useless at the moment, just standing there watching with wide eyes as everybody else was either fighting on the ground, up in the sky, or protecting him, MarineAngemon, and two other Fresh level Digimon.

And then there was that giant… _thing_.

Calumon had never seen it before but he knew he should be scared of it. Everybody else was fighting it, after all. In a way, the thing kind of reminded him of his friends called humans, he ones whom Guilmon, Terriermon, Renamon, Guardromon, MarineAngemon, Impmon, and Lopmon were partnered to, except...this thing was so much bigger and meaner. Actually, now that he thought about it, one of the little red Digimon (started with 'Pun-', he couldn't remember the rest) had said "Jeri" a few times…was that tiny blob gonna be Leomon some day? Huh.

Calumon flinched as he saw more of his friends getting hurt, new and old. When he was still trapped in one of those cages, he had seen lots of Digimon, most he had never met until then. He figured they could now all become friends. And when they found all those humans again, they could all play together. But for now, he hated seeing them get hurt. His ears shrank down.

"Oh, no," he muttered. He saw their rescuers—some of his other newer friends had said Royal Knights—yeah, the Royal Knights…even they were getting battered.

 _No, no, no,_ Calumon thought. _Why can't I help? Why can't I do anything?_ He finally saw that the monster had gotten closer. He could see one of its giant feet standing really close to him.

The Digimon that were guarding him and the three others stayed firm right in front of Calumon. He was pretty sure those two black and white Digimon were called PawnChessmon. They were keeping their spears locked even though they looked like total midgets compared to the beast. Calumon wasn't any better.

He heard a voice call in the distance, _"Fall back! It's aiming for the weak ones!"_ Hey, it was that orange dog-like guy with drills attached to him, except he had a little pink rabbit guy riding on his back.

 _That looks like fun,_ Calumon thought. His eyes looked back to the giant. His ears shrank even tinier. He saw more Digimon rushing to block the monster but it kicked them all away like dust. The ones that were flying were batted away by its hands. He saw some other Digimon—they were holding some weird devices like the ones Takato and his friends had used, only they looked a whole lot different—and their screens flashed and more Digimon popped out of them.

He recognized one of the Digimon holding the devices as Shoutmon, the red lizard with a mic. But it wasn't enough. The Royal Knights managed to score a few wounds on the thing's furry skin, but it didn't pay it any heed.

The black knight with the blue cape—Alphamon, Calumon remembered—yelled to Calumon and the others, "All of you, run!"

Calumon wanted to run, but for some reason didn't. He couldn't fight. He couldn't do anything to hurt the monster…but he wanted to do something to help his friends. All his friends. He stepped up past the PawnChessmon, and looked up at the giant beast looming over him, its eyes all over its body glowing brightly, its mouth slightly agape with shining white teeth. He felt small, and very scared. But somehow, he found his voice.

"St-Stop h-hurting m-my friends," he stuttered nervously. Then stopped. He stood up straighter, let his ears flow wider, and shouted, loud enough for everyone to hear him.

 _"Stop hurting all my friends!"_ Calumon didn't notice everyone holding their breath, watching the sudden confrontation.

The monster just stood there for a moment. Then, in a quick blur, it whipped a hand to the ground and scooped Calumon up high into the air, all its eyes turned on him. He could barely hear his friends shouting his name, but he thought he could hear Guilmon. But he could mostly only hear laughing…the giant was laughing, their _enemy_ was laughing.

 ** _"_** ** _Such great courage for such a small creature,"_** it chuckled amusedly. **_"Small and insignificant, it's a shame no one would ever notice it."_** Its hand tightened around Calumon, and he cried out, feeling the breath leave him. The voice laughed even harder. ** _"Oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt you? I myself do not even know the limits to my own strength."_** It then turned its eyes to everyone else, as if addressing them. ** _"Let your pathetic friend be a lesson to you all. He will be the first to die."_** The hand squeezed tighter ever so slowly, crushing Calumon bit by bit.

 _But I can't give up!_ he thought as he knew what he had to do. He let his eyes widen, let them lock with all those glowing red eyes of the giant. The enemy. _His_ enemy. The one who had hurt his friends!

"I…won't…" he gasped, desperately sucking in bursts of air. "…give…up! Because…all…my friends…" He took a deep breath. "… _THEY NEED ME!"_

The red triangle—the _Zero Unit_ —on Calumon's forehead began to glow in a bright light. Not like the painful bloody light of the monster's eyes, but a soothing, bright light, that soon changed to gold as he finally let out his special attack—the one that would help his friends—right when they needed it most.

 _"_ _SHINING DIGIVOLUTION!"_

Calumon finally let exhaustion take him as he blacked out.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **3rd Year Class, Rm 305, 12:45**

Angie had been eating normally when an image suddenly appeared in her mind's eye and suddenly, she was somewhere else.

Everything was blurry, though. She was running…running toward something _huge_ , but she didn't know what. She heard yelling—battle cries in the air, but it didn't look like she was outside. She was shouting something…more like she felt her mouth moving except the voice that came out was low and more masculine for some reason.

 _"Fall back! It's aiming for the weak ones!"_ She was still sprinting hard, and yet it felt like nothing…did she have four legs? At this sudden thought, she was back in the classroom with a severe headache. She barely heard voices calling to her.

"Angie?"

"Hey, Angie, you okay?" That was…Ren? Right. He, Ryouma, and Hideaki were in the same class as her.

She tried to find her voice again. "Uh…yeah…don't worry about it. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Hideaki asked, sounding unsatisfied. Angie realized the three were all staring at her with worried expressions.

"Yes, really…why are you so concerned about me anyway?"

The boys exchanged looks, as if deciding whether or not to tell her. Finally Ryouma decided to take the floor. "Well, you see…Mikey asked us to look after you. And now, it looked like your head was hurting so—"

" _Mikey_ asked you to look after _me_?" Angie asked incredulously. She was half-touched and half-annoyed. " _He's_ the one that needs looking after!"

Ryouma went to Mikey's defense. "He's not that—"

"Well, you haven't known him as long as I have. He's the one that needs me all the time!" Her voice softened a bit. "But it's nice to know he cares. Thank you for asking about me."

Angie could see the visible relief on their faces when they realized she wasn't mad at them. An angry Angie was not what they wanted on their first day—Mikey had probably told them stories of how furious she got when he went off helping others to beat himself to a pulp. "No problem, Angie," Hideaki replied. They all went back to eating.

But Angie's head was still hurting as she ate.

* * *

At first, Cho-Hakkaimon didn't really get what had happened. One minute, she was Opossumon, and the next…she had been terrified that the little cute Digimon known vaguely as Calumon had been caught, but he had given off some sort of light…and she had Digivolved.

The monster seemed to have been disturbed—or hurt—by the golden light Calumon had given off, because soon after, Cho-Hakkaimon had heard an ear-splitting shriek reverberate through her head as the giant's hand opened up, letting the little white puffball fall to the stony ground below. He seemed to be unconscious.

"Calumon!" Cho-Hakkaimon saw other Digimon call out. The one she hadn't recognized at first—Guilmon, she thought his name was—had now grown huge, not as big as the giant still looming over them, but still at an impressive size. He easily caught the tiny guy in his grown hands.

It seemed that most of the Digimon in the area had Digivolved. There were some Digimon, however, who hadn't gone higher. She saw Dorulumon, Cutemon (when had he appeared?), Ballistamon, Sparrowmon, and Dobermon, still the same as ever. Even Greymon and MailBirdramon were the same. Was it because they weren't DigiFused together at the moment?

Had that Calumon caused all of this? She saw a few other Digimon who also hadn't reacted to the sudden light, like those Digimon that looked like ghosts (they looked kind of creepy), as well as their rescuers called the Royal Knights, among others, but she didn't really know them too well.

Cho-Hakkaimon decided to go on the defensive, rushing to where the Fresh level Digimon and a MarineAngemon had been, as well as the two PawnChessmon guarding them. What she found was something else entirely.

The two PawnChessmon had Digivolved to a Black and White KnightChessmon. The MarineAngemon had stayed the same. But instead of the two Punimon, she was met with a Leomon and…Astamon?! But Astamon had…he had… And yet, here he was. She could tell it was the same Astamon.

"Astamon, how are you here?!" she asked. He looked at her, his face expressionless. Then again, he was wearing a mask.

"That will all be explained later," was his reply. "For now, I must get Ryouma to remember." She assumed he had also been visited by his partner. This day (or night, she couldn't tell) was getting weirder and weirder.

The Leomon growled. "As I will with Jeri. And if I have to defeat this fiend to get to her, then I will." He let out a roar as his right hand glowed with power.

"Fist of the Beast King!" The attack hit the monster squarely in the chest. It actually staggered back, as if not expecting the power of his attack.

 ** _"_** ** _It seems I have calculated wrong. I did not expect the Catalyst to let off Digivolution to those not of its Universe. Though it seems some of you have not been affected by it. It wouldn't have mattered to begin with. This fortress only allows you all to achieve the Champion level!"_** All of the enemy's words sounded like a bunch of nonsense to Cho-Hakkaimon. She was getting pretty tired of not knowing what was going on. It seemed other Digimon were contemplating this however.

"Of its Universe…?" someone muttered.

"I don't give a crap of what you say!" Arresterdramon, the Digivolved form of Gumdramon, yelled. "All that matters is that you go down and never come back up again. Prism Gallet!" His whole body shimmered as he split up into multiple bodies of light, going through the giant, expecting it to be defeated.

But much to Cho-Hakkaimon's despair, all the thing got was a slight scratch. The Digimon, seeing they needed to back him up, released attack after attack, even the Royal Knights letting off random attacks in the hope of stopping it.

But everyone was tired, and the monstrosity was anything but weak. It laughed as everyone started panting from their efforts. Cho-Hakkaimon had let loose a barrage of "Dadada Minchi", getting really angry from it too (she always attacked better when she was hungry, like now), but she merely gave a small indentation which quickly healed. The monster merely batted a giant hand her way, as if warding off an insect.

Only the impact felt so much harder.

As she felt herself losing all sensations at everything going around in the world, Cho-Hakkaimon suddenly found herself somewhere else. She was in a room, but the only person she could see at the moment was a girl with light brown long wavy hair, looking at her. The girl was smiling and talking…to her?

"…it was nice," the girl was saying before her smile dropped and she seemed to notice Cho-Hakkaimon for the first time. "O-Oh no…are you okay? What's wrong? Airu…" _Airu…_ Cho-Hakkaimon wasn't really there? But she had already left the room.

"Hey, Cho-Hakkaimon!" She recognized Tuwarmon's voice. It seemed he was leaning over her. She was on one of the far walls. Tuwarmon…he was the Digimon whose partner was Ewan…the guy Airu seemed to love and hate at the same time.

"Get off me!" she yelled, shoving the Digimon away. In a more curt tone, she added, "I'm fine."

Tuwarmon looked at her. "Is that why you weren't moving on the ground? You had been hit by that…giant."

She was about to reply when someone came walking through the stone wall.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **3rd Year Class, Rm 308, 12:47**

Airu was chatting happily with a new friend she'd made. Her name was Mimi, and at the moment, she was telling Airu what life was like in America. Apparently she'd lived there for a few years and had moved back 1-2 years ago. She was still in the middle of speaking.

"Living in America...it was nice." Airu barely heard her. She had drifted elsewhere.

She couldn't see anything but a blur, but her hearing seemed fine-tuned at the moment. She could hear shouts and cries, distant and near, of rage and pain. Was this a battle? But the vision (or hearing) was soon gone, to be replaced by a splitting headache. She realized Mimi was still speaking to her.

"O-Oh no...are you okay? What's wrong? Airu..." Airu realized she had slid off most of her seat. She scrambled back up.

"My head just hurts."

"Do you want to go see the nurse?" Mimi asked with concern.

Airu didn't hear the question. She was still thinking of the sounds she'd heard: as much as a battle as it had sounded like, something deep inside, that hadn't stirred in a while, said those cries hadn't been human.

* * *

Arresterdramon was holding off quite well when the random guy came strolling in. Maybe not strolling. He seemed to have run all the way.

Through his peripheral vision, Arresterdramon saw the man—was he human like Tagiru?—make eye contact with that black knight named Alphamon just as their enemy shrieked, _**"You are still here?!"** _

Arresterdramon shouldn't have looked at the two, because at that moment, the monster chose to punch him in the stomach.

Arresterdramon liked to think he was pretty strong, but the hit still sent him flying across the vaulted cavern. He crashlanded on top of...Astamon?

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Arresterdramon shouted, turning around to face him. He reconsidered the question. " _How_ the hell are you even doing here?!" Arresterdramon wasn't even sure if his last question made sense.

"I'm fine, too, thanks for asking," Astamon continued conversationally.

 _This guy…_

Then Alphamon's voice cut through the continuing chaos. "Everyone, retreat!"

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **3rd Year Class, Rm 309, 12:49**

Tagiru staggered slightly in his seat. It felt like something had hit him. He couldn't let that ruin his mood, though. He felt lunchtime was the best time at school. All they needed was to extend its time a little longer, maybe an extra hour (or two or three, or half the day) and school would be a much better place.

But Tagiru's stomach still hurt, as if he'd been winded.

* * *

Tentomon had just De-Digivolved. One second he had been at the Champion level, Kabuterimon, and the next, he was good ol' Tentomon again. Maybe it was because the sudden rush of adrenaline he had felt when that peculiar Digimon named Calumon had glowed and yelled, "Shining Digivolution!" had all been drained from continuously attacking the giant furry creature. On an empty stomach, at that.

All the other Digimon had De-Digivolved too, except for the Leomon, not their Leomon who had died ten years ago, unfortunately. It seemed he was friends with some other Digimon, a Terriermon, Renamon, Guardromon, MarineAngemon (who also hadn't De-Digivolved or Digivolved to begin with), Impmon, Lopmon, and strange-looking Digimon he had never seen before. It looked like a red lizard with a biohazard sign on his chest. Tentomon vaguely remembered his name was Guilmon.

On the other hand, the Astamon had only De-Digivolved to Psychemon. He looked like a purple version of Gabumon.

 _Izzy_ _would_ _have_ _been_ _interested_ _in_ _Calumon_. _Izzy_ _would_ _have_ _been_ _interested_ _in_ _our_ _enemy. Izzy would have been interested in Guilmon._ But Izzy wasn't here.

At the moment, Tentomon was confused. Alphamon had called for a retreat. Why now, of all times? He looked across the room to see him sharing eye contact with...

"Gennai?" Tentomon called out as he flew over. Sure enough, it was Gennai in his younger version of himself, with his brown hair and long robe. He looked over at Tentomon.

"Under most circumstances, I would have said it is nice to see you again," he said. "But these do not pass as most circumstances." Gennai looked to Alphamon. "You are sure this is what you intend, Alphamon?"

Alphamon nodded solemnly, though Tentomon had no idea for what. "Yes, indeed, Gennai. The Royal Knights have all agreed unanimously to this. I believe you can testify that Dynasmon swore this in front of the Sovereigns? He has mentioned this to me."

Gennai's face turned grim. "Yes, I am quite aware of that."

Most of the Digimon had already arrived around Gennai and Alphamon, including the rest of the Royal Knights. Alphamon turned to the ghost looking Digimon. "It would be best if you returned to your D-Tectors. I will carry them the rest of the way." The Digimon (they'd been called Spirits, Tentomon heard) followed suite and Alphamon picked up the six Digivices.

 _I suppose those Digivices are D-Tectors,_ Tentomon thought. _Izzy would've wanted to study them is he were here._

Meanwhile, the monster lumbered dangerously near them. _**"Whatever you intend will undoubtedly come with a price,"**_ it hissed. _**"However you wish to go, you will never all be able to leave."**_

Tentomon felt sick every time he heard that voice. Alphamon suddenly barked, "NOW!"

As one, the Royal Knights attacked. Aiming for the ceiling high above. "Shield of the Just!" "Magna Blaster!" "Double Shot!" "Shock Ringer!" "Black Aura Blast!" "The Ray of Victory!" "Dragon's Roar!" "Fist of Fear!"

Far above, the ceiling groaned from the force of all the attacks even though not all of the Royal Knoghts had attacked, Tentomon noted. All was covered in dust as the ceiling creaked even more menacingly.

Tentomon heard Gennai's urgent voice call, "Hurry!" He could make out his silhouette from the gloom. He followed it, and noticed other Digimon doing the same. Behind them, the giant stomped closer.

 ** _"You attempt to escape, but more will be in your way..."_**

 _A warning,_ thought Tentomon.

As Tentomon was the last one to go through the wall (though hesitatingly), he noticed someone hadn't moved.

Examon, he believed the Royal Knight's name was.

"Examon, let's go," Tentomon prodded, feeling a cold feeling inside of him.

 _This can't be._

"No," Examon growled softly. "I won't be going. Someone must hold up this beast."

"But..."

"Go," Examon said firmly and Tentomon flew away through the wall into a dimly lit tunnel. Glancing behind him, he noticed that from this end one could see the opening to the cavern and not a blank wall. He saw the Royal Knight charge defiantly forward, attacking the huge monster. A few seconds later, Tentomon's vision of Examon was blocked as the ceiling there finally gave way to rocks. He couldn't hear the sounds of fighting any longer.

"Examon..." Tentomon whispered as he flew hurriedly down the hall to catch up with the others. They all seemed to have heard the cave-in, the Royal Knights with pained expressions on their faces.

They had been walking (or flying) for quite a while now before they were met with hooded figures all covered in black, standing on the left fork of the path. Of course they had to have their signature red eyes. They charged forward, and Dynasmon, Crusadermon, and Jesmon intercepted.

Gennai continued down the right fork, saying nothing. A few of the Digimon started protesting against it, some about to go help them, when the other Royal Knights stopped them. This left everyone in a stunned and choking silence. As much as a rescue this was supposed to be, it was turning into a painful sacrifice.

They turned another corner. All Gennai said was "Almost there."

It was a long hallway with a room splitting off on one side. There was a dim glow coming from the room. How Gennai had managed to find his way back here Tentomon had no clue. As Gennai led them toward the glowing room, things began appearing from the shadows. Or the things themselves seemed to be shadows, only three dimensional. They slid from the floor, sliding upwards suspended in the air, blocking their way.

As they converged forward, Tentomon saw images...images of the Digital World, being destroyed, the Teal World overrun, Izzy being killed...

"Look through the illusion!" Alphamon's voice cut through the nightmare like a knife. The images Tentomon saw faded away. He realized the shadows must have been influencing him with his dark thoughts. All the Royal Knights (Alphamon excluded) were fighting with them, however making contact with the wispy forms. Gennai raced to the room. Tentomon flew after him with a bunch of other Digimon.

Inside, the room was big enough for everyone to fit. In the middle of the room, there looked to be a glowing rift, big enough for a Greymon to fit (which was convenient, because there was a dark blue Greymon among them). The rift looked almost like a swirling pattern of a blue and green cadence. It began at a crystal on the left, it slowly swirling around and around until it ended with another crystal on the right.

"This," Gennai said, "is the Portal. It will lead you all to the Real World where you may search for your partners."

Everyone stood uncomfortably, remembering their partners could die at first sight of them. That wouldn't stop them from trying though.

Agumon voiced something else everyone had been worried about. "What about the other Royal Knights? They have to come with us as well. Tai would never approve of leaving them behind."

Gennai shook his head, his voice low. "Unfortunately, that cannot be possible. I believe Tai would also understand that sometimes you must leave one behind to save millions of others. All your partners understand that."

No one talked back. What Gennai had said was true for all of them. It had just never been stated as bluntly before.

"Now go," Gennai ordered. "The Royal Knights cannot hold off much longer. Escape now so their efforts will not be in vain!"

"What about you?" Tentomon asked.

"Rest assured, Gennai will be accompanying you all," Alphamon confirmed. Every looked slightly relieved at this, though still sad at leaving their other rescuers behind. "The Royal Knights cannot hold the enemy off much longer. Go now, or everyone's efforts will have been in vain."

Reluctantly, the Digimon complied, going through the Portal single file. "Tentomon and Gatomon, a word if you will."

Exchanging quizzical looks, both Digimon made their way to the back of the room where Gennai and Alphamon stood. From his robes, Gennai produced a small gold ring. He looked at Gatomon and held it out to her. "Your tail ring will no longer be needed to activate Armor Digivolution. It will do so with the help of other powers."

For a moment she just stood there looking stunned before accepting it. "Thank you."

Gennai nodded. "You may take your leave." As Gatomon walked through the Portal, Gennai turned instead to Alphamon. He pulled out a small cube pulsating with a strong light. "Take this with you to the Real World. When the time is right, it will open to release the DigiCores."

Tentomon saw Alphamon visibly stiffen. "This is not what we discussed, Gennai. You were to go..."

"Except this is the way things must be," Gennai interrupted. "You still have the D-Tectors with you as well. You must go to the Real World, Alphamon. And tell the Chosen the truth."

"But you..."

At that moment, a swirl of darkness streaked into the room, heading straight for the threesome. Gennai stepped in between as the darkness surrounded him. Through the folds of his robe, he produced something else and tossed it deftly at Tentomon, who barely caught it with his pincers. Tentomon looked at the object Gennai had thrown. It was a hard drive.

"Give it to Izzy," Gennai said, his expression pained. "He will know what to do. Now both of you, go!"

As Alphamon dragged Tentomon toward the Portal, Alphamon continued speaking to Gennai. "Gennai! You can still come! I can take care of..."

"No," Gennai said, surprisingly calm. "These crystals are what hold the Portal together. I am the only one, aside from the enemy, who can destroy them. That way, the enemy cannot follow you to the Real World."

 _For now,_ Tentomon realized. This was only stalling time, and yet it still required sacrifice.

"Gennai, no!" Tentomon flew forward, but Alphamon pulled him back as he leaped through the Portal. He let go of Tentomon as soon as they had entered the stream of binary code. "I am sorry..." Alphamon said. "I did not expect..."

They both turned toward the opening as they saw Gennai wielding a sword of light, slashing at his right and left. They must have been the crystals, for the opening to Blackmont Castle soon closed to reveal more binary code. The Portal there could not be accessed any longer. Tentomon thought he could hear Gennai's voice though, telling him one last thing.

 _"Thank you...remember to give it to him..."_

Tentomon realized he was crying.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **3rd Year Class, Rm 300, 12:50**

Izzy knew he should be feeling at least a little happy right now. He wasn't normally the sociable type, but somehow he had made friends with a boy named Ewan. They didn't really have that much in common, other than the fact that they had both been honour students. Besides that, Izzy was a computer whiz, and Ewan was a star basketball player. But they talked nonetheless.

Ewan was a good listener, and he did seem interested in what Izzy had to say about what was going on in the computer club, Izzy being the president and all, even though it was the middle of lunch. The blond wasn't too bad with technology himself.

Ewan was still speaking when he suddenly asked, "Hey, is something wrong?"

Izzy's eyes felt wet. He realized he was about to cry without even knowing it. "Not that I can think of. Sorry about that…something must have gotten in my eyes."

As his hand when up to wipe the sudden tears away, a scene suddenly appeared in his head, though it wasn't perfectly clear...he was being pulled away...someone was speaking to him… _"...give it to him…"_ …then…then there was only…binary code?...streaming around him…and he seemed to be crying quite badly...and then the vision faded away. His head was throbbing. He realized that Ewan was shaking him.

"Izzy? C'mon, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Izzy struggled to find words. "Yes…it just seems my head is hurting a little right now…"

Ewan frowned. "Funny…mine was too. Are you sure you're fine, though?"

Izzy nodded absently. "Yes…quite sure…" But he knew it was a lie.

Because his heart was hurting inside.

As if he had just lost something.

Or some _one_.

* * *

 _So the Digimon have finally gone through the Portal to the Real World. But at a high price. On the other hand, what was the hard drive that Gennai gave to Tentomon and what does Izzy have to do with it? How are the Digimon ever going to convince their partners to remember them without actually going up to them and killing them in the process? And how could the Chosen and their Digimon have visions on what the other was seeing when they don't even remember they have Digimon? You'll just have to keep reading_ Digimon: The Worlds' Last Hope _!  
_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Sadly, the only way I can write this fic is by spoiling Hunters. So yeah, at the end of it, Angie and Jeremy receive Fusion Loaders (orange and light blue/teal respectively) and Mikey divides the Digimon he had in his Fusion Loader with the three of them. In that sense, Dorulumon ends up being Angie's 'main' partner and Ballistamon Jeremy's. On top of that, I am aware of Angie getting Cutemon, PawnChessmon, and Knightmon in hers. Jeremy gets Deputymon. Beelzemon goes to Nene's Fusion Loader in Hunters, and Shoutmon teasingly asks if it was because he wanted to protect Mervamon.

2\. Cutemon is male. There's nothing else to say.

3\. Dadada Minchi. Literally means strike, strike, strike, mince. Type up Cho-Hakkaimon on Google Images and you'll understand how she attacks. Honestly? She's a girl in a pig costume wielding a hammer that can shoot missiles.

~X~

 _I just realized this arc is centred mainly on the Digimon's POV. When I first wrote this, I hadn't originally intended this. I just write the way the story comes in my mind at the moment. Oh, well. Still fine with me. I assure you that their human partners will get the main POVs soon enough! I think next chapter will be that, actually. The Digimon will get a break. They've been through a lot. Until then, drop a review if you can and I'll see you next chapter!_


	6. Enjoying the Moment

**A/N:** _Here's Chapter 6 for y'all! Like I said before, this chapter takes a break from the Digimon's POV. It's mostly dialogue, though. Some may call this one a filler in a way, but important stuff still happens here! Anyways, hope you enjoy! BTW, as you can probably tell from previous chapters, flashbacks are written in italics._ **  
**

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters. If any of you are getting bored of me saying this, then just skip it. Let's just get on with the story..._

~X~

 **Chapter 6: Enjoying the Moment**

 **-Odaiba University-**

 **Calculus Class, Rm 227, 14:35**

Matt thought he was about to die.

They said calculus in university would be much different from high school, but this was something else entirely. What the heck was this stuff? He personally vowed never to take high school mathematics for granted ever again. He knew he'd get it at some point, but at the moment, he was seriously drowning on the deep end.

From the beginning of high school, Matt and the rest of the Teenage Wolves—Yutaka, Akira, and Takashi—had decided to break the band at that point. They'd had their fame in middle school, and they had their other 'lives' to get on with. It didn't seem they'd have to go internationally viral.

Though Matt didn't really mind about it, he'd still made sure to keep in touch with the three, just for friendship's sake. Even so, without the responsibility of going to daily band practice, he now had more time to spend with Sora. That was fine with him.

Strangely enough, Yutaka ended up being in his calculus class, sitting next to him. Akira had been in his chemistry class in second period that morning. Takashi hadn't been in any of Matt's classes yet.

At the moment, Matt was struggling to find the answer to a question on the quiz on calculus learned in high school. Though he couldn't really call it a quiz even; how would anyone know if a teacher'd give a test on the first day? That gave the term 'pop quiz' a whole new level of unfairness.

While writing down a formula, Matt realized his pencil was getting dull. He knew he had a bunch of other sharpened ones with him, but taking a walk to the class garbage can just to sharpen the one he already had sounded refreshing. And that's exactly what he did.

As Matt was twisting his pencil through the blade of the sharpener, he watched the pencil shavings fall into the garbage bin, all the while thinking how to answer Q. #14 _:_

 _Use the First Derivative Test to find any relative extrema of the_ _function:_ The rest was a bunch of numbers and symbols.

He barely noticed someone coming up to him.

"I think your pencil's sharpened a little too much." Matt started at the voice, glancing at his pencil and realizing he had sharpened it to the point that it had shrunk to only about three inches. Then he glanced at the boy who had spoken. He practically did a double take.

In a sense, the boy kind of looked like Tai. Okay, maybe at a second glance, if you were being really critical, not really. But they were similar in appearance. They both had spiked up brown hair, but this guy didn't look as brash—more of a gentleman at most. But looks were deceiving. Matt realized he'd been staring at the brunet a little too long

"Uh…can I use the bin now?" the guy asked. Matt nodded and stepped aside, but still continued sharpening as the boy did with his own pencil.

"So…the test is pretty hard, huh?" Matt tried to strike a quiet conversation, but it was hard to do that when their professor Fumihiro-sensei was shooting suspicious looks at them. Jeez, it was only the first day, and Matt was gonna get misinterpreted as a cheater.

The brunet shrugged nonchalantly. "Not really. You having trouble with it?"

Matt decided it'd be best to go back to his seat. "Eh, I'll figure it out. I'd better get going, then." He turned to walk off.

The boy pulled him back. "Hey, you never said your name."

Matt took the guy's arm off of him. "That all? It's Matt. You?"

"Mikey. You just remind me of a friend of mine, that's all. See y'around."

They both walked off to their desks. Okay, at least their professor had stopped looking at them. In fact, he was going out of the room. As soon as he left, whispers were thrown across the room. "What's the answer to Q. 30?" "Did you get Q. 18?" "What's Q. 1?"

 _Someone's still on question 1?_ thought Matt. He made a mental note not to question his own intelligence anymore.

As the talking around him continued, Yutaka nudged Matt. He turned to look at him. "What is it? If you don't know the answer to a question, then I won't, either."

Yutaka snickered. "It's not about the quiz. What were you doing with that brown-haired dude?"

"Tell me why we're talking about this. We just introduced ourselves to each other."

"At a garbage bin? Nice rendezvous point."

"If you mean we were cheating, no, we weren't."

Yutaka snorted. "Why would I ask if you were cheating? Dunno if you looked around the class." He waved his hands around for emphasis.

Matt was getting lost by where his friend was going. "Then if it's not that, what is it? Spill it out already! "

Yutaka smirked. "What was with you looking at that guy for so long? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were checking—"

"We're _seriously_ talking about this?!" Matt nearly punched his friend's lights out. "Just how sick are you?"

Yutaka looked at the ceiling mock-thoughtfully. "Gee, I don't know. Not as sick as you, I suppose. You seem to be quite out of it yourself, going around che—"

 _"_ _Shut. Up."_

"Oh, don't worry, Matt. Your secret's safe with—"

"Go study calculus."

~X~

 **Biology Class, Rm 245, 14:40**

Biology wasn't all that bad. Half the time, though, Sora was thinking of Matt.

She knew her worries were misplaced, that her boyfriend could take care of himself just as well as she could, but she couldn't help but think.

And then there was Tai.

He was on a whole other level. But he had matured too. It was strange, in a way. She used to think it was her duty to take care of the both of them, back when…she couldn't remember. Even so, Sora knew that at that time, whatever time that was, she had always thought to look out for the both of them and make sure the duo worked together.

Always those notorious fights between the two of them. They still had them to this very day, but more on the playful side, if not rarely. They had long ago learned to respect each other, much to Sora's relief.

She had been even more relieved by how mature Tai had acted on seeing her and Matt together. He was actually _happy_ for them. Strange how the years had passed by. Strange how _she_ had changed over the years, as well. It seemed she was no longer a flat-out tomboy any longer.

 _And_ she was getting along with her mother better, too, all thanks to—

Sora's memory stopped there. _All thanks to…a friend. A very important friend._ She knew that much. She turned back to her biology questions. It was all review from high school, and she still had five pages of it left. She'd finished only three. No doubt homework if the full assignment wasn't completed. She sighed and got back to it.

In front of her, a guy walked passed hurriedly with his assignment in his hand to their professor Azumi-sensei's desk, but then paused, noticing something in his sheet, only to walk to Sora's desk.

"Uh, Sora…" Sora looked up. It was Takashi, a former band member in the Teenage Wolves. "May I borrow your pencil for a moment?"

As she handed him her pencil she asked, "Is your desk far away or something?" Sora was sitting in the second row from the front where the teacher's desk was.

"Yeah," Takashi replied, still scrawling something down. "I sit way at the back." Then, looking satisfied, he gave the pencil back to Sora. "Thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome," Sora replied. "What did you forget to write?"

Takashi looked embarrassed. "My name."

Sora nearly laughed, but soon got back to her own assignment. "You two look like good friends," said a voice.

Sora glanced behind her to find a brunette watching her. Her voice didn't hint of any teasing. "Kind of," Sora shrugged. "He was in a band with my boyfriend."

"Oh," the girl said thoughtfully.

Sora didn't really know anyone else in her biology class, other than Takashi. But it wasn't like they were seriously close. If the girl wanted to strike a conversation with her, Sora may as well know her name.

"I'm Sora, by the way."

The brunette hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "I'm Nene."

"Nice to meet you, Nene. It's a nice name." As they continued talking to each other, Sora realized she'd just given herself biology homework.

~X~

 **Physics Class, Rm 236, 14:43**

Jeremy was quite enjoying class. He liked anything that had to do with robotics and engineering, given that he wanted to become something along those lines. He'd always been skilled with mechanics as well, though every time he tried to remember something about fixing…something, his mind pulled a blank. Not that he'd let this stop him.

At the moment, Jeremy had a review test on everything that had to do with…well, physics. He could see others struggling with it, and well, he did too sometimes, but for the most part it was actually _fun_.

The only other thing he enjoyed was playing kendo. After five years of practising it, Jeremy and Mikey were finally on the same level, but he had long since dropped their rivalry. They were just good friends. Mikey and Angie had joked that he'd finally actually matured.

In a way, they were right, now that he saw it. He had a future to focus on, not the past. Though he liked Nene, he'd let go of it ever going further than that. Jeremy had watched the way Christopher acted toward her. He almost always acted kind to her, despite the harsh vibe he gave off to everyone else. He'd like to see how the blond would work it out.

As Jeremy continued writing, he heard a boy groaning off to his side. Jeremy turned to him. The boy had light brown hair. They were in one of the back rows, so their professor, Tadashi-sensei, probably hadn't heard him.

"Just what the hell is this stuff?" the guy muttered scornfully, glaring at his review test.

"You don't remember learning this stuff from high school?" Jeremy asked him.

The brunet glanced over at Jeremy. "Easy for you to say. I don't even remember _going_ to high school."

Jeremy thought about that for a second. High school was only a year ago. How could the guy not remember going to high school, unless he'd gotten amnesia on such short notice, or if he hadn't gone to high school himself? Well, it was his problem to deal with anyway.

As Jeremy focused on finishing his test, he saw their professor walk up to their row, holding a stack of paper in his hands. It looked to be two inches thick.

He stopped at the boy whom Jeremy had just talked to. "Mr. Damon, this is work to be done at home for the rest of the school year. You may get assignments that I provide to the whole class during the year as well. Hand this all in at the end of this year and we shall see if you pass."

Some people sitting around them that had listened to what the professor had said now looked at the brunet with a mixture of pity for him and relief for themselves. What had the guy done to get all that work? The brunet visibly slid down low in his seat and sighed.

"Dude?" Jeremy asked. "Not that I'm trying to rub it into your face, but what the heck is all that for?" He pointed toward the wad of papers.

"Apparently they don't have my high school records," 'Mr. Damon' scoffed. "And my parents want me to go to university this year, so the only way for me to pass is to get way more work and take classes in the summer as well." He glanced at Jeremy. "That means for every course. You lot better learn to be thankful."

"I am." Jeremy paused. "No offense. But if you don't like any of this, what are you supposed to be when you grow up?"

The brunet's lips twitched into a smile. "Already am something. The number one undefeated street fighter of Japan," he stated cockily.

Jeremy wondered if that was what his own face had looked like when he had challenged Mikey to kendo four years ago. "That's great. You mean you fight other people?"

"Heh, yeah. They never stand a chance against me, though. I've fought people and…" The Damon guy paused abruptly, suddenly looking confused. "People and…well, people, I guess."

Jeremy smirked. "Yeah, well I have a test to finish." As he looked back at the question he was on, the boy called him back.

"Hey, you don't leave me without telling me your name."

"You're looking at the great Jeremy Tsurgi," Jeremy announced proudly, all maturity forgotten.

"Gee, never heard of him. Anyway, you should be feeling quite honoured yourself when you know you've just been talking to the undefeated street fighter Marcus Damon."

"You already said you were an undefeated street fighter. But I've never heard of a Marcus Damon."

"You must not have been listening hard enough."

With a sigh, Jeremy thought he'd never finish his test. Marcus seemed to sense his thoughts, because he said in a softer tone (Jeremy didn't think that was possible), "I'll let you finish your test now. You seem to have a future ahead of you. Me, well…" He looked at the pile of sheets on his desk and sighed. "…I've got this ahead of me."

Jeremy glanced at him and asked him something he never thought he'd ask anyone else. "Hey, if you don't get anything…you want me to help you out? After school, I mean."

Marcus smiled, but not in a mocking way. "Thanks, man, but don't worry. I've got a friend who's some genius as everybody calls him, but I don't really see him as one. Anyways, though, it wouldn't matter who I'd ask." He chuckled. "Even if it were you or him, I still wouldn't get it. But thanks for offering."

"No problem." Jeremy finally got back to his test.

* * *

 **Nonaka Residence, 15:24**

Rika found herself looking through her closet yet again.

This must have been the millionth time she'd felt that there was something important in there, which was a little strange. But then again, the whole day had been strange.

Rewinding to the end of the day at school, Rika had walked home (after taking the subway) with Takato, Henry, Jeri, Kazu, Kenta, and (annoyingly) Ryo. Other than Jeri, she hadn't seen the others at all since the morning.

As she had joined them to go home, she had noticed how battered and bruised they were, as if they'd been fighting. When she had asked about what they'd been doing and if they were alright (not that she cared), they were completely clueless. What was most strange was that Rika had felt the same way as well. Her body had (and still was) aching all over, as if she'd done something strenuous.

The only one who hadn't looked as worn out was Jeri, though she herself had been acting a little distant, as if…Rika didn't know. But that wasn't the end of it.

They had nearly been at the point where Ryo would separate off from them to go his place, when Henry had brought up a rather odd reaction from Ryo as he asked a question:

"Hey, Ryo, do you know a guy named Ken? He's in my class."

Rika had seen Ryo stiffen, something unlike the 'smooth' personage he normally gave off (not that his personage was ever impressive, to say the least).

"No," he'd replied through gritted teeth. "I don't." And then he'd walked away. No one else decided to pursue him on that.

Soon after, Jeri had left to her house, too, then Kazu and Kenta split off, then Henry to his apartment, and finally Takato to his family's bakery, with Rika alone to her house.

She didn't get why she was still wondering about that. A tiny, confined part of her mind, one that never spoke, now asked: _Are you concerned for Ryo?_ No! She was not! It wasn't even anything life-threatening on him. Henry had asked a valid question, though she herself didn't even know who the heck from his class he was talking about, but it didn't _matter_.

But still…Ryo's reaction had unsettled her. Now she was mad at herself for concerning over Ryo. In turn, now she was getting mad at Ryo for making her mad at herself. She pushed everything away as she rummaged around some more in her closet.

Rika felt that whatever she wanted was at the top shelf, but her hands couldn't quite touch the back wall of it. She groped around blindly, not finding anything. Finally her hands rested on something flat and smooth—like a piece of rectangular paper, only firmer and could fit in her hand. As she reached around further, she could feel more of the same thing.

Rika's curiosity reached a peak. Making sure no one was watching (which meant only her mother and grandmother) she let whatever was up there fall on her, letting her hands clean over the top shelf. Suddenly, all was a blur of blue and green, as if it were snowing.

When everything had all fallen down, Rika looked at the littered ground. Whatever they were, they looked like cards. Green and blue cards. The back of her mind tingled uncertainly. She leaned down to pick up a 'card'.

She flipped it over to see an image—an image…she should…know…

A blinding pain suddenly pulsed in her head as she fell unconscious.

* * *

 **Takaishi Residence, 16:14**

TK glanced at his D-Terminal. He'd just finished his homework and was thinking of talking over the day with his friends. He was curious to know what they'd been doing today. Not that they hadn't talked about it as they were walking home, but it had been on short notice. He decided to message Kari privately as an idea formed in his mind.

 **TK: Hey. Are you done your homework?**

Her reply came a few seconds later.

 **Kari: Yeah, I just finished right now.**

 **TK: That's good, because I was wondering…somewhere in the evening, maybe…do you want to go on a walk, just you and me?**

TK waited expectantly for her reply.

 **Kari: Sure. When and where?**

 **TK: I was thinking maybe around 8:10…at Odaiba Park?**

 **Kari: Okay. That sounds nice. I'll see you there.**

 **TK: You too.**

Looking at his messages again, TK noticed the others had already started talking together on their group messaging, where all twelve of them would receive any messages sent to one another. At the moment, Yolei had just sent something.

 **Yolei: School was fine and everything until I met some guy with brown hair. Said his name was Ryo and when I was telling him about you all he acted really weird when I said your name, Ken. You know him?**

 **Davis: Ken, you have other friends than ME?**

TK felt five minutes pass before Ken responded, though it might've been because he wasn't online. TK had a feeling that wasn't the case.

 **Ken: No, Yolei, I don't know him.**

 **Cody: Davis, we're all his friends.**

 **Kari: I heard Class 1-E gets the most homework. Are you done already, Davis?**

 **Davis: Nope didn't start yet. Was about to 'til y'all came along. School sucks.**

 **Tai: Wait 'til you've reached university Jr. You haven't seen anything yet.**

 **Davis: Yeah right.**

 **Matt: Try writing a test today on calculus.**

 **Davis: Oh just remembered I have homework from high school. I should go…**

 **Tai: Where's everybody else?**

 **Joe: Studying. Please, I have work to do.**

 **Tai: Eh, who studies on the first day?**

 **Izzy: Please, Tai. I have to finish my assignment.**

 **Sora: Me too.**

 **Tai: Sora did you catch a fever from Izzy or Joe? Since when do you work a lot? Matt did you really let her get exposed to them?**

 **Matt: Shut up Tai.**

 **Tai: Oh right I forgot that we're talking about the guys that actually use commas in IM.**

 **Davis: Cody uses commas too.**

 **Ken: I thought you had homework, Davis.**

 **Davis: Eh? You too Ken?**

 **Cody: Maybe we should stop for now.**

 **Kari: Agreed.**

 **Mimi: Why? I just got on!**

 **Joe: Please stop guys!**

 **Izzy: Just a few mins off please. If not for the sake of us, you should at least know that the constant exposure on IM online is unhealthy, physically and mentally.**

 **Matt: And who's the one always on his computer? Anyway where's TK?**

 **TK: Right here. And Joe's right we should stop.**

TK sighed and put his D-Terminal back. The constant beeping told him they were still talking. But his thoughts were on this evening.

As he'd watched their conversation, TK had suddenly thought of Davis. He marveled at how mature he'd grown, even though some may not see it at first. He knew that he'd fully let go of Kari. Now all he saw her as was a close friend. Nothing more.

He'd go through great lengths to protect her, he was sure, but that was the way he acted to all of them. And then there was their other private conversation they'd had, face-to-face, that also proved this.

 _Davis leaned back in the grass and sighed, glancing back at TK. "Hey…" He looked hesitant. "There's something I gotta talk to you about."_

 _TK glanced behind them, to where the others were sitting on the grass, talking amongst themselves. Davis had obviously called on him only. TK went over to him. "What's up?"_

 _Davis stared at him for a little while longer. "Nothing much. There's just something…I gotta clear up with you."_

 _TK tensed inwardly, feeling he knew what was coming._ Kari. _Clear up what, though? That TK should give up on her now because Davis would be taking her? Had he really still kept that rivalry for that long?_

 _Instead Davis turned him so they were eye-to-eye. "I want you to promise me something."_

 _"_ _What?" TK asked. When had he become so serious?_

 _"_ _I…I want you to take care of Kari for as long as you live," Davis whispered. "And make her happy whenever she's down, and get her out of trouble if she's in it."_

 _TK just stared at him, blinking for a few moments, before Davis continued again._

 _"_ _But what I want you to know is…" Davis's eyes grew hard, and he smiled faintly. "…if you're ever away from her, I'll be watching over her for you." He paused slightly, looking goofy again. "Seriously, though, TK, when will you start making your move on her?" TK just sat there stunned as Davis laughed at his expression._

Looking back to that day, which had been only a few years ago, TK figured Davis had said what he'd said on purpose just to throw him off: first by actually saying his name correctly and second by indirectly telling him what he actually meant: _Just so you know, I'm_ letting _you get Kari_ _. But I've got her back either way._

They really had grown up.

* * *

 **Himi Residence, 17:19**

Yutaka was in his fifth year at Odaiba University. Four years ago, he'd only been in his first year there, and his little brother Tommy had only been in third grade. Then one weird day, Tommy had come home as a totally _different_ person. The once spoiled and pampered younger sibling he'd had who'd always wanted things from others was suddenly acting mature and independent.

On top of that, he'd made friends with five other kids who were two or three years _older_ than him. One of them had a sibling Tommy's age, and the two became fast friends as well. Some people might think Yutaka was being a little overly cautious, but if their little brother came home one day with a whole new personality and new friends older than him…wouldn't one be suspicious?

Though perhaps Tommy had been changed for the better, it didn't make Yutaka fully accept his new 'friends'. Even if it had been four years. Because the way Tommy acted toward them, it was as if they'd known one another for years or something.

The only other thing Yutaka was worried about was if those kids Tommy was dealing with weren't involved in anything bad. The last thing he needed was for his little brother to be changed, only to be influenced the wrong way once again by them. Huh.

But then, how had Tommy become so independent? Through them? Every time Yutaka had asked him, he would just say, "I can be friends with whoever I want. And they're good, too."

What were their names? The guy with the goggles was Takuya, the two who looked the same were Koji and Koichi, the blonde was Zoë, and the oldest of them was JP.

"Tommy, how'd you become friends with those guys again?" Yutaka asked for the umpteenth time. He figured if he asked enough times, Tommy would spill. Their parents didn't really seem concerned with him hanging out with older people, since his personality hadn't seemed to have taken the wrong turn.

Still, Yutaka could never be too careful around any bunch of seemingly normal kids. Especially teens.

His brother sighed, sitting on the couch watching TV. He'd done his homework already. "I told you already brother, I just met them and they were really nice to me and took care of me. We just became friends after. That's all."

"But _where_ did you become friends?" Yutaka asked persistently.

He saw his younger brother tense, staying still for a long time. Yutaka thought he'd scored it this time, but when Tommy turned around to look at him, his eyes were clouded with confusion. _Genuine_ confusion.

"I…" Tommy began, frowning slightly. "I really don't know."

* * *

 **Damon Residence, 17:48**

"You what?!" Kristy heard her brother Marcus shout.

When the two had gotten home from high school and university, they'd received some unexpected news. Apparently Thomas had found a cure to his sister Relena's disease, and had earned the Nobel Prize on top of that (Marcus hadn't cared about that part).

But that wasn't what had gotten him so riled up. A few hours later, their mother had told them they'd be inviting all of them to _dinner_ at their house. Tonight. And not just Thomas and Relena.

Probably what had thrown Marcus off the most, Kristy mused, was that Thomas, Relena, Yoshino, Megumi, Miki, along with _Sampson_ and _Yushima_ were all going to be in his (or their) house at the same time. Kristy, Marcus, and their mom were in the kitchen at the moment, Kristy's brother still contemplating over this.

"Hang on—why are _we_ hosting a dinner?!" Marcus asked. "The genius earned the No-good Prize, why doesn't he give it at his huge mansion?"

"Marcus, you know it's _Nobel Prize_ ," Kristy corrected at the same time their mom Sarah Damon replied, "Actually, I was talking on the phone with him and I was the one that insisted it being at our house. Plus, it's not just really just for that. You could call it a get-together for all of you."

Marcus made a noise in his throat, something if Kristy asked him about, he would've excused with, 'something manly'. Just then, their father Spencer Damon walked in, holding a mug in his hand, looking quite happy. "Hey, I think I'll take a refill of…" He saw Marcus's expression and turned to Sarah. "What's up now?"

"Oh, you know," Marcus stated casually, "We're hosting a dinner for a bunch of people tonight."

"We what?!" Spencer dropped his cup and it shattered on the floor. "Oh, come on, that's my favourite mug! Wait, who are we hosting and why?"

Kristy marveled at how right her mom was: men were just clueless. "Since Thomas earned the Nobel Prize and cured her sister—" Marcus coughed forcefully. "— _and_ as a get-together for all of us, we've invited him, Relena, Yoshino, Megumi, Miki, Mr. Sampson, and Mr. Yushima."

Her dad looked at her for a moment before nodding thoughtfully and smiling. "That was nice of you, Sarah." He paused. "Wait a minute—they all live in Hokkaido, minus Keenan. How're they supposed to get here to Odaiba?"

"Probably by private jet or whatever," Marcus shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why are we even the ones hosting this?"

Marcus and Sarah both groaned as Kristy snickered, walking out of the kitchen to finish the last of her homework.

* * *

 **Minamoto Residence, 20:04**

Before Koji could walk out, his mom turned up behind him. "Where are you going, Koji?"

"Just out for a walk with some friends, Mom," he said politely. "I'll be back in about an hour, okay?"

His mother hesitated for a bit, then smiled. "Alright. Have fun."

Koji sighed in relief and headed out. Nowadays, he really had fully accepted his step-mother as, well…his mother. He noticed how it made everyone in the household (especially her) so much happier and more at ease.

In truth, he was going out with only one friend. More specifically, relative. As they'd been heading back from high school on the train, he and his twin brother Koichi had decided on taking a walk in the evening. Though it had mostly been Koichi's idea. They were to meet in Shibuya Park at around 8:00 PM.

Ever since Koichi had moved to Shibuya from where he had lived before, it had been much easier for the twins to communicate. Now it wasn't just phone calls everyday and _some_ visits. Now weekly visits were easy since Koichi's place was now in not-too-bad walking distance and Koji didn't need money to take a train. On top of that they could go to the park together whenever they wanted.

But Koji still didn't get why Koichi would pick today to take a stroll, it being the first day of high school and all, but he wasn't about to complain. If it meant spending more time with the twin that didn't live with him, he was all for it. He'd finished his homework as soon as he'd gotten home.

When Koji arrived at Shibuya Park, he couldn't see Koichi anywhere. The dying light of the setting sun cast long shadows over everything, but other than that, he still couldn't spot his brother. He decided to walk alone for a bit, until his twin would show up or see him arrive.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he sauntered on the path given, looking around a little, until a voice said, "Good evening, Koji."

Koji jumped at the sound of his brother's voice. He couldn't see him anywhere. "Brother?" he asked to the air. "Where are you?" He scanned the area, still not seeing him. But the voice had sounded close.

"I'm right here," Koichi stepped out of a shadow of a tree, coming into view. Koji had been looking right at him. It was as if he had melted into the tree's silhouette on the ground.

"When did you get here?" Koji asked, trying to hide his surprise.

"Not too long ago," Koichi responded. "I've been sitting under the tree for comfort. The sun was kind of making me feel hot for some reason."

Koji had felt the opposite. Being in shadows had made him feel cold. But that minor detail failed to ring a bell inside of him. Instead he said, "Why did you ask to go on a walk today?"

Koichi smiled. "Because watching the sunset is much better with my twin." And he took Koji's hand as they ambled down the path together, Koji's thoughts roaming freely with each passing step.

* * *

 **Odaiba Park, 20:10**

Kari waited on a bench for TK. She didn't want to be late, so she'd left her apartment a few minutes early. Tai had asked where she was off to and she'd simply said she'd be going to the park with TK. He'd nodded and let her leave.

A few minutes later, TK came walking up next to her. "Looks like you came early."

Kari smiled. "I didn't want to be late."

TK sat down beside her. "Well, you aren't."

They sat down in silence for a moment, before Kari asked, "Why today?"

TK glanced at her. "What do you mean 'Why today'?"

"Why did you ask for a walk on the first day of school?"

He looked at her slowly, trying to read her expression. "Do you think today's not the right day?"

Kari shook her head. "No, I just…it was very abrupt…not that I didn't like it, but…" She didn't want to say what was really on her mind.

TK caught it right away. "Are you worried about Davis?" He had no malice in his voice.

Kari sighed. "Maybe. I mean, it's been four years, but…"

TK went and wrapped his hand around hers. "Come on, let's walk. I mean, that's why I called you, right?" They stood up and strolled down the paved path, the park on their right and the water glistening on their left. TK kept talking. "If you mean Davis liking you…of course he still likes you."

Kari nearly stopped walking but forced herself to continue. Sure enough, TK had more to say. "But we talked about it, and he told me…that he doesn't see you in that way anymore."

The words felt wrong to be coming from Davis's mouth, but she kept listening. "I just wanted you to know…when I'm not there to watch over you, Davis promised that he would."

Kari tried to think of words. "I…I like Davis…" she murmured. "I really do, but—"

"As a brother," TK cut in gently. "I know." Wow, he could really read her.

TK stopped walking and went up to the railing overlooking the water and leaned against it, Kari following behind him. "So he's happy with this…" Kari murmured.

"Yup," TK smiled.

Kari felt tension she didn't know was there lift off her shoulders.

They were silent for a long moment, before TK spoke again. "Do you feel it?"

Kari felt confused. "Feel what?"

"How… _nice_ …maybe even perfect…all this is now," TK continued. "I can't remember when it's ever felt this good before."

Kari knew TK really meant _"when_ I've _ever felt this good…ever since my parents got divorced"_. But she didn't want to push him on any sensitive subjects.

"Not just me," TK chided, as if reading her thoughts. "I mean…for everything. It's like the whole world is at peace...is happy."

"Why are you saying all this?" Kari knew he always meant something more than what he let on.

"Because I feel like whenever we all enjoy a time like this, bad comes soon after."

"Like the calm before a storm…"

"Yeah…and that's why I asked to go on a walk today. To enjoy this all while it lasts." And he wrapped an arm around Kari's shoulder, keeping her warm from the chilly evening air as the sun turned the water into melted gold.

A shadow passed through everything; quick and small, as if going from chilly to subzero, everything abruptly changing to black, in a microsecond, there and gone in an instant. Kari shuddered, but TK hadn't seemed to notice anything. It had probably been her imagination.

TK was right.

She had to enjoy this all while it lasted.

* * *

 **Norstein Residence, 20:43**

Thomas sighed as he walked down the stairs into the grand foyer, hands in his pockets. He could see that his younger sister Relena was already waiting for him there. He didn't want to keep her waiting any longer.

Maybe it was the fact that she had been sick for most of her life since she was born, but even so, he always felt it was his job to make her happy. And protect her.

Thomas had only found the cure to her sickness a few months ago, actually, but had had to do advanced research, experimenting, and tinkering to confirm that it would work on people and wouldn't have any strange (or harmful) side effects. That had amounted to Relena's treatment being only a few weeks ago.

Soon after, one thing led to another, and word was spreading. He found it unexpected to have won the Nobel Prize because of it, but, well, from most people's point of view, he was basically a young prodigy that had found/created a medicine to a seemingly incurable disease.

After that, their father had let Relena move in with Thomas, with their dad coming to visit from time to time, he had said, but at the moment he had 'family matters' to attend to in Austria.

It looked like some of his friends had found out about his success (through media, most likely), because this afternoon he'd just received a phone call from them, and had invited the two over, as well as their _other_ friends. Thomas had found it slightly unnecessary, insisting that if they were to celebrate anyhow, it should be at their place, first because it being bigger and with more room, and second because it would be more logical for him hosting it.

But whenever he talked (whether face-to-face or on phone, like in this case) to Sarah Damon, he tended to lose his train of thought and incentive, which both annoyed and saddened him at the same time. She also persisted that it was a get-together as well, but he was pretty sure that was only half of it.

However, Relena had seemed quite happy about the notion of going to Kristy's house (they'd become friends over the last four years), and if it made his sister in high spirits, then Thomas would go for it.

"Come on," Thomas told her as he was done descending the steps.

"Alright, brother," was her only reply. Relena seemed to be able to tell when he was thinking about something.

All of this now brought the same question in his head for the millionth time today on _how_ he'd become friends with them all in the first place. With Sampson, Yushima, Yoshino, Megumi, Miki, and Keenan, sure, he got, they were reasonable people.

But Marcus? How the two of them had ended up together…but it didn't matter, anyway. Relena and Kristy had bonded, so things were fine. _I guess._

But Thomas knew that deep down, he was silently thankful for Marcus's mother inviting them to their house. He was pretty sure she had done so purposely, and with good cause, which was exactly what it had done, and what it was about to do.

He still remembered eating with them for the first time, and the memories that it had stirred, memories that he unintentionally kept at the back of his mind.

Whether they be good or bad.

"Brother," Relena said after they'd gotten into the limousine that would take them to the airport where they'd be meeting the others. "Are…Are you sure you're fine?"

"...hm?..." Thomas replied after a moment. "Yes, Relena, I'm fine. Don't…worry about me."

"Can you promise me something?"

"Uh…I suppose, yes. What is it?"

"That you won't lock yourself up anymore…" Relena's gaze hardened. "Enjoy yourself there. Okay?"

Thomas blinked. Then he gave the weakest of smiles. "Alright…I will." _…try._

* * *

 **Damon Residence, 21:26**

Relena walked into the kitchen to put her plate away. She'd just finished eating her dinner, and she'd just been proven once again how good Sarah Damon's cooking really was. Kristy was with her, also having finished.

For most of her life, Relena always had to be looked after someone. Watched over. She knew it wasn't their (or her) fault for them having to do that, but now that she'd recovered, she felt an immense surge of relief in her, either that she didn't need to be someone else's burden anymore, or that she could finally be off everyone's watchful eyes.

The exception was her brother. Half-brother, technically, but they barely ever used the term 'half-siblings' towards each other.

Relena understood that Thomas had reason to worry for her, of course, she'd only just been cured, and before that, wouldn't have been able to walk several metres without collapsing. But she was _better_ now.

In fact, though he may not have noticed, things were getting flipped around now: she was really watching over _him_. Though not in the way anyone would think, or notice.

"Was the food alright?" Kristy's mother asked Relena kindly.

"Yes, it was very good!" she replied.

"You want more?" Kristy asked.

"No," Relena said, shaking her head. "I'll save the rest for Marcus." Kristy just shook her head, probably thinking of her brother, as they walked back to the living room, where they had all gathered.

"Don't worry about him," the Damon said. "He has Mom's fried eggs to eat on the table in the living room."

The adults were in the kitchen, talking about…whatever they talked about. Politics? Even though, Yoshino, Megumi, and Miki would be considered adults, too (at 22), the three didn't go with Sampson and the rest, instead staying with the other…teens and young adults.

Relena could already hear their conversation as she walked to the living room.

"Someone tell me…why are you all at my house?" Marcus.

"What do you mean? Your mom's the one that invited us!" Megumi.

"Yeah, she said it was a get-together for us." Miki.

"And it just _happened_ to be the day some genius earned the No-good Prize?" Marcus again.

"Um, isn't it Nobel…?" Keenan.

"That's beside the point, Marcus. And yes, it is Nobel. But I did insist to your mother that it be at my place…" Thomas.

Relena and Kristy had finally made it over to them and had found comfortable seats on the sofa.

"Does it matter, you two? We're all here now, so it's all good," Yoshino was saying. "Honestly, though, after four years, I thought you guys would be getting smarter. Or at least mature."

"Do you know who you're talking to?" Miki grinned.

"So you finally admit that Thomas can get maturer?" Marcus asked triumphantly.

"'Maturer' isn't a word, it's 'more mature'," Thomas countered.

"Denial~!" Marcus sang, grabbing another fried egg.

"Marcus, do you realize how off-key you are?" Miki asked.

"Yoshino's right," Kristy cut in. "Men _are_ idiots." The girls all laughed.

"I fail to see the humour," Thomas stated stiffly.

"Of course you do, brother," Relena said cheerily. "You think too hard about it." This was followed by another bout of laughter, in which Marcus snickered into his hand, purposely trying not to hide it (or maybe he was trying to cover the fried egg in his mouth), while Thomas just rolled his eyes at him. Only Relena could tell he was secretly thrown off by the comeback.

"The sisters always know best," Marcus mocked him. "I'd listen to her if I were you."

"As if," Kristy retorted. "You never listen to me."

"That's because I've never heard good advice from you. What Relena just said was brilliance."

"You would know brilliance?" Kristy looked at him incredulously. This time it was Marcus's turn to roll his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" Marcus challenged, taking yet another fried egg.

"All you can do is eat."

"Yeah well, what's wrong with...?" He trailed off as his hands groped nothing on the plate. He threw a glare at Thomas, who was munching away happily.

"This is good," he told Kristy innocently.

"That was mine, genius!" Marcus informed grudgingly.

"Genius? You're the one spouting off about your brilliance."

Everyone grinned and slowly laughed as the brunet was at a loss for words. Relena was still giggling until she stopped abruptly, noticing everyone else had as well. They were all staring in shock.

At Thomas.

"W-What is it?" he asked confusedly. Marcus stared at him and smirked.

"I didn't know you could laugh."

The blond stared at him dumbfounded for a moment, not knowing what to say, and stuttering occasionally, before Yoshino stopped him.

"Thomas, he means it in a good way. We've just…" _…never seen you laugh before._ Everyone could finish the sentence unsaid. Something stirred in Relena, something she didn't know she'd been holding in, until she realized it was a strange kind of happiness.

In truth, until now, she'd never seen her own brother ever laugh either.

* * *

 **Mogami Residence, 22:04**

Ryouma stared at the ceiling as he lay down in his bed, trying to get to sleep. He kept on feeling he was hearing voices…or maybe one voice, calling to him at the back of his mind.

 _"Ryouma...where are you...?"_ The voice sounded…sad. But not willing to give up. He sighed and tried to sleep. Naturally he ended up dreaming.

He was surrounded in a thick veil of darkness. And the voice was calling to him, beyond the darkness. "Ryouma! I…I'm sorry, you probably don't remember me now, but you must try and remember…please…before it's too late!" He didn't recognize the speaker at all.

Ryouma heard a laugh, except it wasn't coming from the original speaker; this voice sounded more sinister. Then the scene shifted.

He was on a plain. A beautiful plain with green grass stretching…endlessly, it seemed. This time he heard a different voice, or few voices…speaking at once.

 _"When the worlds are in disorder, and all are at wit's end, Seven Gifts of Sage shall rise and make amends."_

The same words repeated over and over again, until a pit opened up at Ryouma's feet, and he tumbled into oblivion, his voice not seeming to work.

And then he woke up in the dark, feeling a splitting headache that hadn't been there before.

* * *

 _Looks like weird things are happening to the Chosen. What happened to Rika? Is she alright? Could TK's words mean more than he thought? What was it that Kari felt for a split second? And who was calling Ryouma in his dream? And why is everybody getting headaches? You'll just have to read the next chapter of_ Digimon: The Worlds' Hope _to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Yutaka: I will admit, the main reason I did from Yutaka's perspective was to differentiate between him (as in, Tommy's older brother) and the Adventure Yutaka (as in, one of the band members from the Teenage Wolves). Tommy's brother is way older than all of them, in Frontier, he was a already a university/college student. He's about a year younger than Yoshino, Megumi, and Miki. The Adventure Yutaka is the same age as Tai and the rest. Just to clear that up.

2\. Thomas and Relena: I have no idea why I'm putting this, since it's already in the show, but I'll do so anyway for clarity's sake. Thomas's mom died when he was young. She was Japanese. His dad barely ever looked after them, staying in Austria I believe. When she died, Thomas went with his dad. In the memory that was shown, he was overhearing a conversation between his dad and grandmother, with her saying to her son to remarry a woman to get a better heir to the Norstein family, because she thought Thomas would never be a true Norstein. His dad remarried, but when Relena was being born, the birth didn't go right, and her maternal mom ended up dying. So the two are half-siblings, but don't really mention it a lot.

3\. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I seriously never remember Thomas laughing, as in legit laughing, not smiling in amusement. The only time I remember him laughing was in his memories of spending time with his mom. But other than that...well, if any of you can prove me wrong, then tell me when and in what episode.

~X~

 _So, how did you like it? Some parts took a while for me to do, but in the end, I kinda like the way it turned out. Now, this is one of the chapters I need to hear the most from you, because I need to know if I did the scenes alright! So, I'd like to know what you think! Until then, see you next chapter, but don't forget to review!_


	7. Lest We Forget

**A/N:** _Here we are at Chapter 7! Did I really only publish this last month on the 6th? Wow, does time fly. The only note I have to say is that I do occasionally go back and change a few things in other chapters (mostly font and if it's bold, italic, etc.)._

 _The other thing I'd like to add is since this is in April, some are technically a year younger than I said they were (e.g. Takuya's birthday is in August, so he's actually 14, not 15 yet)._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters. You already know this. I just hope you enjoy the story. Speaking of which, let's get on with it!_

~X~

 **Chapter 7: Lest We Forget**

 **TUESDAY, APRIL 4, 2006**

 **Hida Residence, 3:57**

At first, Cody's dream had been calm, and he'd actually felt…happy.

He was with his dad sitting in the grass. A tree loomed high above them, granting them shade against the glaring sun. They were on a hill overlooking a beautiful field, where flowers and other plants grew abundantly.

Everything felt so real that Cody forgot that he was sleeping: the wind ruffling through his hair, the grass tickling his hands, and his father Hiroki's hand resting gently around his shoulder. Cody leaned closer to him, not wanting the moment to end.

But of course it did.

The hill was gone. The blue sky was gone, to be replaced by a crimson backdrop. Actually, now that he noticed, he was _floating_ in the sky. Suspended in midair. He couldn't move except to turn around to look at his surroundings, but that was about it. There weren't any clouds to be seen.

Below Cody, the ground was dark. And it seemed to be moving. No… As he focused harder, he realized that there were creatures moving, only their hide was so dark, they camouflaged perfectly with the ground. Then he heard the screaming.

Cries pierced the sky, of sadness, loss, sorrow, pain, Cody couldn't even find one that sounded happy. A burst of light shot from the dark beings, hitting at the far end of wherever they were. More shrieks accompanied it, followed by a huge explosion which momentarily blinded him.

From the blast, specks spouted out from it, and for a second, Cody thought they were sparks of flame, an aftermath from the detonation, until one of those 'sparks' hit him.

He instantly yelped in pain as something singed the back of his right hand. Glancing down at it, he found a burn mark on it. The aftermath of the explosion had spat out acid. His stomach twisted at the thought of those caught in the middle of it.

Cody suddenly felt a cold sensation in his heart. He glanced down. The creatures, he realized, were looking right at him. He could tell because this time he noticed glowing red eyes staring daggers at him.

 ** _"You are next…"_** they hissed.

A burst of light shot toward him, but it seemed to come in slow motion. Cody felt traumatized at the moment, until someone shouted, "Cody, look up!" He glanced above him and saw a rip in the sky. A literal rip. A hand stretched from it. Cody reached for it. The intense light still seemed to come ever so slowly…

He weakly grabbed the hand. Whoever was on the other end was obviously stronger, because he managed to pull Cody out of there.

He wasn't in the red sky anymore. From here, the rip leading back there vanished. Everywhere he saw was blue…and it looked like…it looked like the same place he'd just been in, only…digitized, as if drawn with AutoCAD on a computer. He saw bits of binary code strewn around here and there. Then he remembered he wasn't alone.

Cody glanced at his side, to see a man with shoulder-length black hair in a long purple trench coat. "Hello, Cody," he said softly. "You've really grown the last time I saw you." His eyes grew sorrowful. "But that's not why I came to talk to you."

"Oikawa…?" Cody whispered. He'd heard of his father's best friend, and known he'd died in an accident, except he didn't know what. Something about what he'd just said struck him. "W-Wait a minute. 'The last time I saw you'?"

Oikawa frowned slightly, seeming to become even sadder than he was before. "You really don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"Never mind," the man said. "I've just come to warn you. I didn't mean for you to end up over… _there_ ," —Cody knew he was talking about the red sky and massacre he'd just witnessed— "but they somehow intercepted." Oikawa said the last part somewhat darkly.

"Who is they?" Cody wondered, but his father's best friend sidestepped his question again.

"That doesn't matter at the moment. I've come to warn you, Cody." Oikawa became deadly quiet. "You, your friends, and many others are in grave danger."

"In danger? From what? And who are the others?" Cody suddenly felt desperate. "How…How are you even here? How do you even know all of this?"

His father's best friend smiled faintly. "Only when you remember will all this make sense to you." He paused. "It seems we can't talk for any longer. There's still something you should know, though." His form, and the surroundings around them, began to fade, flaking away into bits of binary code...bits of _data_.

"What is it?" Cody gasped, but he knew it wouldn't be anything good.

"Things are not what they seem," Oikawa uttered ominously. "Though you may not understand what I mean now, you will later, once everything has come back to you. The boundaries of all worlds are breaking. And not just the ones you once knew of. Soon, even imagination and reality will blur. And when that happens…"

The scene dissolved, but Cody caught Oikawa's voice with the wind as he drifted in sudden nothingness.

 _"…_ _nowhere will be safe for anyone."_

Cody jolted awake, his head throbbing badly for some strange reason. And yet that wasn't the part that hurt most. Through the shaft of moonlight filtering into his bedroom, he glanced at the back of his right hand.

The burn mark was still there, hurting as much as it had before.

* * *

 **Digital Space, Unknown Time**

Apparently, several hours had passed and they were still drifting in binary code, according to Alphamon. To Palmon, it felt like days. She wanted to see Mimi now. Like she'd be able to see her though. Not without killing her, however that worked.

The whole group of Digimon could be seen, all fitting in the vast expanse of glowing ones and zeroes. After they had first stepped through, Palmon had looked back and seen Gatomon come through. A few minutes later, Alphamon had appeared along with Tentomon. Gennai had not accompanied the two.

Tentomon had had a lost look in his eyes, clutching something small in his pincers, and the others—more specifically, Palmon's friends—understood right away what had happened, and didn't ask anything, instead brooding in their own sorrow. They had been floating forward in silence ever since. This had given Palmon time to look at everyone and know all their names. Their personalities, however, remained a mystery.

"Um," the little Digimon named Calumon broke the silence. Palmon still couldn't believe that the small puffball had been the cause of their miraculous Digivolution, even if it was only to the Champion level. "Are we there yet?"

"No, Calumon," Renamon sighed.

"So what're we gonna do when we're done taking this ride?" Shoutmon asked. "And how come we aren't breaking up into data, staying out in the Digital Gate for so long and all?"

"We must all take refuge once we get to the Real World," Alphamon said. He then addressed Shoutmon. "That characteristic only exists in your world."

"Our world...?" Dorulumon muttered.

"Have you ever been to the Real World before, Alphamon?" Biyomon asked.

"No," the Royal Knight replied. "I have always roamed the Digital World, but have never been to the Real World before. But that does not mean I am not aware of your partners, the legendary Chosen of the different universes."

"Chosen?" Guilmon asked, tilting his head confusedly. "Guilmon always hears Takato calling himself a Tamer."

"Different universes?" Dorulumon and Gaomon repeated. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"It is part of the explanation that I, along with Gennai and other Digimon that you have all made acquaintances with, have wanted to tell you all."

"Like who?" Impmon demanded. "Those Sovereign, or Holy Beast guys? The flaming bird, the giant snake, the overgrown two-headed tree, and the white tiger?"

"The Sovereigns?" Hawkmon said. "Yolei mentioned something similar to the descriptions you have implied. I believe their names are Zhuqiaomon, Azulongmon, Ebonwumon, Baihumon, respectively. However...they go by the name of the Harmonious Ones."

"You are both correct," Alphamon agreed. "The Four Holy Beasts may be called the Sovereigns or the Harmonious Ones. They are some of the Digimon I am speaking of."

"Hey, we helped those guys with the D-Reaper four years ago," Terriermon piped up. "If they're all so powerful and everything, why didn't they help us back in that creepy castle?"

"D-Reaper?" the other Digimon reiterated in unison.

"The Sovereigns cannot help us," Alphamon stated gravely.

"And why's that?" Impmon asked, dissatisfied. "I mean, we went through all that trouble to help them—"

"They are dead."

Silence followed his words. It seemed that most of the Digimon didn't even know who the Harmonious Ones were, and yet they still remained solemn. Palmon herself didn't really know the Four Holy Beasts that well, other than when Hawkmon or Gennai had explained vaguely about the topic. But the fact that they had already died was enough to keep her quiet. She finally decided to ask one question.

"Alphamon," she started, "...they'll be reborn in Digieggs, though, right?"

The Royal Knight was silent for a long moment, and that told the answer clearer than any words ever could.

"What's a Digiegg?" Lopmon inquired quietly.

"You don't know what a Digiegg is?" both Agumon asked at the same time. They looked at each other for a moment, blinking.

"Yeah, what's a Digiegg?" Opossumon repeated.

"That, and all of your other questions will be answered soon," Alphamon responded discreetly.

"How shoon?" Veemon persisted impatiently. He twiddled with Davis's Crest of Miracles around his neck.

Palmon had nearly forgotten about Mimi's Crest of Sincerity around her own neck, but before she could look at it, Alphamon was already answering.

"Quite soon, just not at the moment." The Royal Knight looked ahead of them all. "Because right now, we have arrived."

Then they were engulfed in light.

* * *

 **Hypnos Headquarters, 6:06**

Mitsuo Yamaki flicked his lighter open and closed, thinking hard. For the past few days, his mind had felt foggy, as if there were gaps in his memory. It wasn't Alzheimer's, he knew that for sure. He remembered things fine, but it was a strange tingling at the back of his head, a little voice, nagging at him everywhere he went.

 _Isn't there more to life than this? More that you've seen? Where did it go? What even went to begin with?_

"Argh, just shut up, will you?" he growled to himself angrily, flicking the lighter so hard that a flame sparked from it. He hastily extinguished it.

"Hey, Yamaki…" Riley, one of his closest employees, said, "…everything alright with you?"

"Yes, everything's fine," he answered calmly. _Other than the fact that I'm hearing voices and possibly turning into a loon._

At the moment, he, Riley, and his other close employee Tally, were in one of the dark rooms where most of the walls were occupied by monitors, showing maps and scans of Japan. Normally Riley and Tally would be sitting in two chairs that sent them high above to examine and report on all the info that they received, but at the moment, they were down below with Yamaki, sipping on beverages.

Yamaki had practically forgotten what his job at Hypnos was. He'd asked his superior, his boss, only known as the Man in Black, what they'd be doing now. It had probably sounded foolish, asking him what they did when Yamaki had probably worked for a while at Hypnos.

Instead, his superior had simply said, "We look for irregularities in Japan, like the threat for natural disasters, so that we may warn the population of it before it actually strikes. This lets everyone evacuate early, saving millions of lives." That had finally filled one of the holes in his head, but it was as if the piece of the puzzle had been put in the wrong place.

Yamaki was working with the Monster Makers as well, which consisted of (with their nicknames) Shibumi, Tao, Dolphin, Curly, Babel, and Daisy, though he didn't really get why they were called the Monster Makers: they were just a smart group of people.

 _You don't get why they were called that, or you don't remember why they were called that?_ That voice was at it again!

Since there was no serious activity to report, Riley and Tally had taken a slight break for the time being.

Tally sipped on her drink. "Are you sure you're okay, Yamaki? You never answered Riley's question."

"Oh, sorry," Yamaki muttered absentmindedly. "What were you saying, Riley?"

"I was just asking what was on your mind," Riley said. "You seem to be thinking a lot about something."

"It's nothing," was all he said.

"Well, it seems like something," Riley pressed. "You haven't been concentrating these last few days."

Yamaki sighed. He was about to answer, but stopped abruptly. Instead, he asked, "Do you hear that?" as he strained his own ears. Riley and Tally both looked around until both of them glanced back at him. "Yes," they responded in unison.

It was a low beeping sound, quick and persistent. It didn't seem to be able to get any louder.

"None of the monitors are going off," Tally noted. "Just a risk of some thunderstorms this morning, but no need for evacuation. That shouldn't be putting off any alarms…so what is that?"

Yamaki went over to the control pads, where the sound was slowly getting louder.

 _Nothing is reacting,_ he thought. _So where is it…?_ The whole panel was a sort of dark metal. He could hear the beeping, slightly louder as he was beside the panel, but couldn't see where it was coming from. Unless…

Yamaki ran a hand across the control pad, feeling the metal and all the buttons and levers passing by his hand, until he felt something different. A small indentation. It went around until it made a small perimeter of a small square. He realized it wasn't just some random indentation.

It was a _groove_. If someone were to simply look, it would've blended in perfectly because of the dark hue of the metal. Yamaki curled his fingers, trying to get a grip in between, but the gap was too thin.

"Tally, Riley," he said urgently. "Do you have a wedge of some sort?"

"Will this do?" Riley pulled out a small penknife and twisted a tool so it was facing outward. It was a slot-type mini-screwdriver.

"Yeah, that's perfect." She handed it to Yamaki, who stuck the end of the screwdriver into the groove, using it as a lever. After a few tries, a small square metal panel snapped out. Yamaki slid the screwdriver back into the penknife and gave it back to Riley. Under the metal plate was a small red light, blinking on and off in time with the beeps. It seemed to be a button of some sort. Steeling himself, Yamaki pushed it.

Instantly the huge monitor on the wall started showing something. Tally went to look at it. "There's a light pulsing from Shinjuku Park. But this alert doesn't seem to be for any natural disaster…"

The back of Yamaki's mind tingled again, but the mist in his head still didn't clear up.

"Call the Monster Makers," he ordered, looking at Riley. The Monster Makers were in another room, working on other normal computers (on a side note, with much brighter lighting). Riley looked like she wanted to question his motive, but then she nodded and was off.

A few minutes later, all nine of them were in the dark room.

"Yamaki, why did you call us all here?" Shibumi asked.

"Because there's something all of us have to check," Yamaki responded vaguely, flicking his lighter as the gears began moving in his head. It would still be dark outside, but the sun would rise in another hour.

"Shouldn't we alert someone about this alarm?" Tally asked concernedly. "I mean, it's beeping for a—"

"No," Yamaki interrupted before she could finish. Something in him had taken over. Instinct. An _old_ instinct. Something he should have had with him, but was now locked away.

 _Or blocked by whatever else is muddling with my head._

"We're only checking this out. Now let's go." And with that, he left the room, knowing the others would be right behind him.

Because a strange feeling inside of him said he wasn't the only one with the foggy mind.

* * *

 **Hokkaido Police Headquarters, 6:08**

Richard Sampson watched Megumi and Miki studying their respective computer monitors, scouring the digitized maps, while Yoshino had gone out for patrol, keeping in touch with the two with an earpiece.

"Wait a minute…" Megumi muttered. "There's some weird signal in…Shinjuku Park…"

The monitor had a picture of a red dot in the middle of Shinjuku Park. On the screen, the dot caused a ripple effect spreading outward.

"What is that?" Miki gasped.

The back of Sampson's mind tugged at him. _You know this._ They _know this._ And yet…

Sampson heard a beeping sound. Megumi and Miki didn't seem to notice. The sound was faint, and the two were wearing headphones with speakers to communicate with Yoshino.

Instinct took over his next sentence. "Leave it, both of you. It's nothing. You don't need to alert Yoshino of this." His voice was loud enough for them to hear through the headphones, but they still hadn't seemed to notice the constant beeping.

"Are you sure, sir?" Megumi asked.

"Yes, everything is fine." Megumi and Miki both nodded and continued their scouting on their monitors.

Sampson tuned himself back to the sound. It seemed to be coming from the room they were in. But where…? He had no idea why, but he felt a need to go to the sound. He walked around for a while until he heard the beeping growing louder. He looked down and noticed a series of drawers. He tried them. They were all locked.

Pushed away in Sampson's mind, something in him said, _These drawers shouldn't be locked._ Nothing _should be locked. So why…?_ It didn't matter to him now. He had to get it open. The noise sounded closest here.

There were keyholes for all the drawers. Sampson wasn't aware of where any keys would be. It would just have to be done the old-fashioned way. Since they were a police operation, they had a ton of different gadgets. That included lock-pickers.

A part of Sampson wasn't sure why he was so desperate to open the drawers. It was just a _beeping_. Was he really about to be driven mad by a small noise? Megumi and Miki couldn't even hear it! But he just had to open them.

After grabbing a lock-picker from their utility room, Sampson managed to open all the drawers. There were five in all, one on top of the other. The four on top were empty, but then the bottom one…

Sampson opened the drawer. Inside was…something. It looked like some sort of device, or gizmo. It was somewhat rectangular...mostly black. At the edges it was coloured red, with a screen that occasionally flashed in time with the beeping. But what caught his attention the most was the symbol in the middle. A symbol that looked kind of weird…no, he had _seen_ it before…

Just then, Sampson's phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he noticed it was Yushima. Last time he checked, Yushima had been Commander-General of…what? Something. Sampson picked up the call nonetheless.

"Sampson, is that you?" Yushima's voice sounded dangerously serious.

"Yes," Sampson replied. "Is there something wrong?"

"Is your phone on speaker?"

"No. Is—?"

"Good—"

 _"_ _Yushima._ Is something wrong?"

"Yes and no. All you have to do is come to Shinjuku Park right away."

"Yushima, is it really that ne—?" But Sampson was cut off again.

"Sampson, you must come here. _Alone._ "

Sampson was left baffled on the other end as the call was cut. For a moment, he just stood there, planning a course of action. Then he looked at the two girls stuck on their monitors. Something told him at the edge of his conscience: _You can't tell them._

"Megumi! Miki!" They glanced up at him. Miki took off her headphones. "Both of you take care of HQ while I'm gone."

"O-Okay…" Miki stuttered, slightly stunned. "Where are you going, sir? Is there anything wrong?"

"No, everything's fine." And with that, he left. He made sure to have his communicator off so they couldn't track him down. The device he'd found was tucked safely away in his pocket. It had stopped beeping as soon as he'd touched it.

At the moment, he had a jet to fly. _The advantages of working in a police facility._

* * *

 **Shinjuku Park, 6:19**

Kamemon felt himself tumble through the blinding light, and for a moment, couldn't tell between up from down. And then he hit something. Hard, but it seemed to slope at an angle.

A few minutes passed by, and he felt his vision start to come back. Everything was blurry at first, dark even, but by the time Kamemon's eyes could see properly again, he realized that it was naturally dark: he had been looking at the sky. It seemed to be nighttime in the Real World. But even through the blackness he could still make out the angry clouds high above.

Was it about to storm? That just made him wonder how long he hadn't seen the sky for, whether it be real or digital.

Oh, and just what was he on? Was he… _moving_? Kamemon struggled to right himself up. He found himself…on a slide. Wait a second. Where were the other Digimon? _Oh. That's where._

The turtle-like Digimon suddenly found himself feeling very thankful that he'd landed on something _smooth_. It seemed that his other companions hadn't all been as lucky.

Some had landed on some stairs, others on monkey bars, and Kamemon was pretty sure he saw a Digimon on top of the roof of the playscape. They'd landed on a playground. But how? And why? There weren't any humans here, probably because it seemed to be night. Kamemon glanced up toward the sky. He could see a little trace of the Digital Gate high above, fading away, where they must've all fallen from.

Ouch. No wonder he hurt a little. That was _high up._

A part of Kamemon wanted to see his partner Yushima again. It seemed that most of the other Digimon's partners had apparently forgotten about them. When they'd been in that big fortress, there'd been jars with their partners' names on them, as well as their Digivices. Yushima's hadn't been there. Did that mean he still remembered Kamemon? He couldn't help but hope.

Alphamon was already up and looking around. "So this is the Human World…"

Kamemon suddenly felt a tingle go up his spine. He knew what that meant. Kudamon must've sensed something similar because he said the same thing as Kamemon did, only a different name.

"Sampson is here!"

"Yushima is here!"

~X~

Homer Yushima had met up with Sampson just as he was about to enter the park. He plunged a hand into one of his pockets, where the device he'd found a few hours earlier stayed tucked away. "Good morning, Sampson," he greeted.

Sampson glanced at him through his dark blue shades. "A little early for a morning stroll."

"There isn't a sunrise for us to enjoy it yet," Yushima agreed. "But you know that's not why I called you. Come, let's walk."

For a moment, they sauntered on in silence, until Yushima finally decided to ask the question on his mind. "Have you been feeling it lately?" He purposefully threw it out vaguely, to pique Sampson's interest.

The commander of Hokkaido's police force seemed to have already guessed Yushima's motives. He stayed silent, waiting for him to elaborate.

Yushima raised an eyebrow and continued quietly. "As in, has your mind been feeling foggy lately?"

Sampson was silent still. The other man knew he was simply thinking, planning on how he was going to word his next sentence. He finally exhaled. "I do admit…there have been things that…I haven't exactly been able to grasp." He paused.

"Except something tells you that you _should_ be able to grasp it," Yushima finished.

Another awkward silence. Then Sampson asked, "Do you remember…Do you remember a time when we weren't alone?"

This stirred something in the older man's head. "Alone…" _Alone…_

"It's not just the sudden uncertainty of everything…more so, I've been feeling incomplete."

Yushima nodded slowly. "I know what you mean, Sampson. And yet…"

Just then, a beeping sound interrupted him. No. Not _a_ beeping sound. It seemed to be coming from _two_ places. Yushima knew where one of the noises was coming from. He dove his hand into his pocket and fished out the gadget he'd found only recently.

Looking beside him, he could see Sampson had pulled out a similar device. It seemed to be where the other beeping was coming from. Theirs were both coloured black, but Sampson's was also red around the edges while Yushima's was green. The symbol in the middle still unnerved him.

Sampson looked over, seeing what Yushima was holding and tried to hide his surprise. "So you have one too…where did you find it?"

Yushima shrugged. "Some drawer. I forget where." He glanced at the gizmo in his hand. "It had been beeping before, but when I touched it, it stopped. Now it's starting up again… I wonder…"

Sampson nodded thoughtfully, reading the senior's mind. "…whatever's here, we're getting close to it."

As they walked on for a little while longer, the beeping got louder, and the two could see the playground coming into view. Except…

"Are those kids?" Yushima wondered. "Quite an hour to be out playing." As the trees thinned out, revealing a different paved path that also led to the park, another group of nine people looked to be walking in the same direction as Yushima and Sampson.

At the head of the other group, a blond-haired man with sunglasses ( _is this a trend or something?_ Yushima thought) seemed to be leading them at a brisk pace. As both groups were a few metres away from the playscape, they seemed to take in each other for the first time.

For a moment, they just stood there, staring. Then…

"Who are you?" everyone blurted out at once. Someone made a noise, and everyone turned toward the playground, as if noticing that the 'children' were still there. Until the realized that they _weren't_ what they'd seemed to be…

There was an abundance of different creatures, some looking similar to everyday animals, only one could tell they were anything but the average animal. Some looked like robots. And some...a combination of both.

But out of them all, a tall black-armored knight with a flowing blue cloak carried a sense of great power than the rest of them. But Yushima's eyes had locked on a biped turtle, wearing a blue hat that covered most of its eyes. His head tried to configure something out of it but the continuous fog in him prevented it.

As everyone continued gawking at the scene, a small purple imp with a red handkerchief around his neck slowly walked up to them. It crossed its arms. When it spoke, for some reason Yushima didn't feel as surprised that it had the ability of speech.

"So…someone care ta tell me why ya haven't dropped dead yet?"

* * *

 **Shibuya Subway Station, 8:09**

Koichi noted how much earlier they were to board the train today as opposed to yesterday.

 _About seven minutes,_ he thought. Even Takuya was with them along with Shinya, still smiling as maniacally as ever.

"See?" their leader boasted. "I'm not always late."

"Yeah, but you are _most of the time_ ," Koichi's twin pointed out gruffly. "Today's what we call a _rarity_."

Koji always seemed to be mad at something, but Koichi knew that wasn't the case. He could be happy, if he ever dared show it.

Yesterday evening was a great example. He'd actually seemed relaxed, and they'd watched the sunset together, though Koichi had felt a little uncomfortable looking directly at it. It had been too hot that he'd had to find a shadow. Koji, on the other hand, had seemed oddly cold once he'd sat beside him. He preferred to go back out in direct sunlight.

Strange...

The train ride seemed quicker than usual. They were off before Koichi knew it.

"Since we got off the train so early, we can walk the rest of the way to school," JP announced.

In response, lightning tore at the sky, followed by a clap of thunder.

"Or we should run before it starts to rain," Zoë muttered.

"Let's keep a fast pace," Takuya suggested. He nodded to JP, who took the lead. It seemed Takuya hadn't memorized the way yet.

Pretty soon, they had dropped Shinya off at Junior High and they were off to their own school. Above them, the clouds continued to gather and darken.

The drops hadn't fallen yet, but Koichi knew it was only a matter of time. That's when he heard the voice.

 _"_ _Help me…help me…"_ It was faint, and for a moment Koichi didn't even know which direction it was coming from. He looked at the others and saw they hadn't reacted at all, just started to walk at an even faster pace as more lightning clawed at the dark grey sky.

 _"_ _Look to your right…"_ Koichi risked a glance in that direction.

It was in the shadow of a tree. There looked to be a man of some sort, leaning against the tree. His head was not visible.

 _"Come closer, boy…"_

For some reason, Koichi felt fascinated by the voice. So fascinated that he forgot to notice anything wrong. Like the fact that from the dark sky there shouldn't have _been_ a shadow created from the tree.

But the voice...sounded…beckoning, almost. He barely felt his feet moving toward the shadow. Shouts and cries he heard felt lifelines away.

"Where are you going?" "Koichi!" "Hey, Koichi!" "Brother, what are you doing?"

 _"_ _Yes, come closer…I need your help…"_ The man reached out a gnarled hand. Koichi barely noticed the black and wrinkled skin. He reached out his own hand.

"Brother!" Koji grabbed his other arm.

The man reeled back his arm, shrieking in pain, moaning over and over again, _"The light...the light..."_ and Koichi snapped into focus. He took in the figure for the first time, but there wasn't much to look at, him being covered mostly in shade. Koichi pulled back his hand and squeezed his other one tighter around his twin's.

"Thanks, Koji," he murmured.

Koichi suddenly heard a laugh coming from that direction just as Koji asked, "What's wrong?"

 _"_ _The light cannot stop this…"_ he cackled. _"Too late…too late…"_ And with that, his body melted into darkness.

"Too late for what?" Koichi asked aloud. Suddenly he heard shouting. It was JP.

"Both of you, move it! NOW!"

"What is it, JP?" Takuya asked, puzzled, as JP lunged forward at the twins.

"JP, what are you _doing_?!" Zoë shrieked.

Koichi heard the crack of thunder and saw the flash of lightning at the brink of his vision before he felt the breath leave him as he was knocked aside by the older boy. For a moment he just lay there, trying to catch his breath, before he heard Takuya and Zoë.

 _"JP!"_

Their voices sounded desperate. Koichi got up, as scared as he was of what he thought he might see.

JP was on the ground, unmoving, charred earth and grass surrounded him on all sides. Koichi noted dreadfully that it was the same place that he and Koji had been standing a few seconds ago. Beside him, Koji whispered, "JP…"

Suddenly, the brunet let out a cough, and, slowly, pulled himself up, brushing his pants off, almost casually. Then he noticed the other four looking at him. "What?" he asked. Then he saw the ring of blackness. "Whoa…"

"Y-You're okay?" Zoë breathed. He didn't have a scratch on him.

...Let alone a burn.

Takuya looked shocked for a moment, but then broke off into a goofy grin and walked up to JP to clap him on the back. "What a lucky guy you are!"

Koichi continued giving JP a bewildered stare. "JP…how did you know…I mean, you warned us before it…"

JP went timid. "I don't know…I felt a weird feeling in my gut, and well… Really, it was nothing…I mean, the bolt ended up missing me anyway, so…"

"Nearly getting struck by lightning is what you call _nothing_?" Takuya grinned. "I'd take some credit, if I were you."

JP walked out of the burned circle, and Koichi noticed that where he'd been lying down, the grass had still remained green.

"Heh…seriously, though…" JP laughed nervously. "...we should be getting to school…"

"You're sure you're okay, though?" Zoë asked concernedly.

"Yeah, Z, I'm sure," JP said reassuringly. "Glad no one else saw. They would've called the ambulance or something. C'mon, we're gonna be late if we don't hurry." The rest of them followed behind him.

"JP," Koji said hesitantly. JP glanced behind him. "Thank you."

"No problem," he smiled faintly before walking on.

As Koichi followed behind him, he couldn't help but think that it was his fault for what had just happened. But just who _was_ that man that had called for him? But the other thing that had disturbed him even more was JP and how he'd said the lightning hadn't touched him.

As much as it made things more complicated, Koichi was quite certain that he'd lied.

* * *

 **Akiyama Residence, 8:16**

Ryo had already gotten ready for school and was out the door soon enough. The events from yesterday had all but melted from his mind. Whatever had happened was now gone. High above, the clouds rumbled, as if about to burst with rain, along with the lightning and thunder, but Ryo didn't care about that at the moment.

The very mention of Ken's name had stirred a huge headache, so he thought it best not to think about it anymore. Hopefully all his other friends got the message.

Ryo met the others at the corner of a street. Though he had just recently moved to Shinjuku, he was still normally the last one to join them. As he looked around, he noticed someone missing. "Hey, where's Rika?"

Takato and Henry exchanged worried glances. "We don't know," Henry admitted. "We didn't get a call from her, and we didn't find her where we're normally supposed to meet up."

Takato looked around. "Do you think something's wrong?"

Kazu snorted. "Yeah, right. You think anything could be wrong with her?"

"Why don't we go to her house and see if everything's alright?" Jeri suggested.

"Won't we be late for school?" Kenta pointed out.

"I just left my place and the clock on the wall said 8:16. We've got plenty of time," Ryo said defensively. Then he noticed the looks he was getting. Kazu and Kenta smirked, while Takato and Jeri smiled sweetly, and Henry just stood there, shaking his head at all of them.

"What?" Ryo asked, clueless.

"Oh, nothing," Takato said, still grinning. "Now c'mon. If we go to Rika's house now, we can still catch the train and make it to class!"

* * *

 **Nonaka Residence, 8:20**

Jeri knocked on the door while the others waited behind her. A few seconds later, Rika's grandmother, Seiko Hata, opened the door. Jeri smiled politely. "Good morning, Mrs. Hata," she greeted. The others followed with similar words or gestures. Jeri continued after they had finished. "Is Rika at home? We never saw her where we usually meet."

Seiko's face turned slightly worried. "Yes, she's home. She won't be going to school today."

Ryo looked the most concerned out of them all. "Really? She was fine yesterday. Did…something happen?"

"Yes," Seiko said. "She was taken to the hospital yesterday after falling unconscious, but she came home late last night after recovering. She'll be back to school in a few days."

For a moment, everyone just stood there in shock. Jeri herself felt really surprised. She was in the same class as Rika, and the redhead had been fine the whole day.

"Can we see her?" Ryo asked.

"Dude, you're the last person she'll want to see," Kazu muttered.

"Like you're any better," Kenta retorted. "She'll be sending you to the hospital if you go visit her."

Seiko smiled slightly. "Don't you all have school to get to?"

Takato glanced at Henry, who glanced at his watch and shrugged. "It's fine. We still have time," Takato reassured Rika's grandmother.

"Alright then," Seiko let the door open wide for all of them to enter. Jeri stepped in first, followed by Takato, Henry, Kazu, Kenta, and finally Ryo. She was half-surprised that the brunet hadn't charged in first.

Seiko led them to Rika's room, then left them alone. Rika was sitting on her bed, looking at them, as if knowing they'd been outside the whole time.

"Could you hear us from outside?" Henry guessed.

"I heard the door opening and assumed it was you," Rika answered monotonously. "No one else would come this early in the morning."

Ryo shoved his hands into his pockets. "Rika, what _happened_? I mean, you looked great yesterday."

Kazu coughed loudly, mouthing, "Looked great?" and Kenta kicked his leg. Rika threw a death glare at them.

"Nothing happened. I just blacked out."

Jeri sat on the bed next to Rika. She knew she was the only one that'd be able to do that without coming back scathed. "Rika…" she said softly. "That doesn't just happen."

Rika sulked, but then her face suddenly grew serious. "Fine...do you guys remember playing with cards?"

"Do I remember playing with cards?" Kazu echoed. "Gee, there was Go Fish, Uno, and…let's see…"

"You think I'm thick-headed? That's your job. I'm serious. Not those types, but…" She paused, growing wary. "They were green and blue…and they had a picture of…" She had stopped, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, never mind."

"Cards…" Takato and Henry both murmured. Their eyes suddenly became distant. Somewhere in Jeri, she felt a sudden pain in her, not the just the physical types her forehead, but emotionally too, as if she'd lost a good friend.

But what did that have to do with cards?

"Don't you guys have school?" Rika asked dully.

"O-Oh!" Takato sputtered, out of his sudden trance, but he was rubbing his head, as if it hurt. "School…yup, we'd better get going…s-see you Rika…"

"Hope you get better," Jeri told her before getting off the bed and following the others.

Rika sniffed. "I _am_ better. But my mom and grandmother disagree."

When the five had left Rika's house, they started to break out into a run, Henry noting that they might end up being late if they walked. All the while, Jeri felt a sadness in her. She couldn't believe it was coming from a word Rika had said, repeating itself over and over again…

 _Cards…_

* * *

 **Front of Odaiba High, 8:27**

Mimi walked with Izzy to the front doors of Odaiba High. Now that Tai and the rest we're in university, it was just her and him in their last year of high school.

Yesterday, Izzy had looked considerably depressed on their way home from school. When Mimi had asked what was wrong, he'd just shrugged and said, "Honestly? I don't know."

Her first day had gone just fine. She'd met a nice girl named Airu. If anything, they shared a lot of things in common, and it was fun telling her of of life in America. She'd only just moved back from there a few years ago.

Surprisingly, Izzy suddenly spoke up, breaking Mimi out of her thoughts. "Have you ever felt like something's left you?"

 _He's actually sharing his thoughts now...well, that's a start!_

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, prodding him to keep talking.

"When you've been with something...er, or someone, for a long time, it's like they get implanted in you, as if a part of you," Izzy explained. "When that thing, or they, gets taken away, it's like…you've lost a part of you."

 _Lost a part of me…_ "You mean…like a friend?" Mimi whispered. Something whirred in her head, but she didn't know what.

"Yes," Izzy concurred. "Like a friend."

Mimi realized his whole talk had been to explain his original question. _Have you ever felt like something's left you?_

"Sometimes…" Mimi began. "I feel like I'm looking for someone…but I don't know who."

Izzy nodded, thinking hard. "Prodigious…" he muttered. Mimi didn't get what was so amazing about that. "I wonder…" Just then, the bell for first period rung. "Oh, I should be off now." With that, he went down the hall, heading for Room 300.

Mimi would be going to Room 308. Izzy had improved on his sociability, but he still needed to work on his farewells. As she walked off to her own class, Mimi's head still spun. Something had just come to her when Izzy and her had been talking.

 _Seven Gifts of Life shall heal the Mistaken,_

 _At Friends' last breaths, the Phoenix shall awaken._

 _A friend,_ she thought. _A part of me…_

* * *

 _So the Digimon have finally arrived in the Human World! It seems that they've met Yamaki, Sampson, Yushima, and the others, too, except the humans don't remember them. But Impmon's right; why didn't they die when they saw the Digimon? And what about Cody's dream and Oikawa's warning? And who was the stranger that only Koichi could hear? It looks like everybody's starting to remember stuff now, but are they any safer because of it? You'll just have to keep reading_ Digimon: The Worlds' Last Hope _to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Mimi and Izzy: I've got no clue if I'm doing Koumi or not. Just throwing that out there for you guys to know.

~X~

 _So? How was it? I know I keep dumping more info and mystery into it, but trust me, I've got this. At the moment, I'm focusing on having everyone's (as in Chosens') POV done at least once. Because Sampson, Yushima, and Yamaki had to be done, that took out Data Squad, Fusion and Hunters' POV this chapter, but they're coming either next or upcoming chapters. The people I haven't done yet: Ken, Suzie, Mako, Megumi, Miki, Nene, Ewan, Hideaki, and Ren. They're coming up._

 _Normally, I update weekly. Coming up I don't know what week but somewhere in August to beginning of September, I'll be a week off somewhere, I just don't know when. So if you guys see that I haven't updated in over a week, then know that I'm just on a slight vacation._

 _Anyways, review if you can, I'm curious to know all your thoughts about everything that's happened so far. Until then, I'll see you in Chapter 8!_


	8. Making Moves

**A/N:** _Here we are at Chapter 8! I am_ _so sorry it took this long. I was on vacation for a week and intended to type there via my iPad, but then I learned I had no Wi-Fi. That seriously threw me off my usual writing streak and it took me a while to get back into it. Anyways, this chapter is mostly dialogue and a slight info-dumper._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters. Got it? Good. Now let's get on with the story!_

 _P.S. Please read my important note at the end._

~X~

 **Chapter 8: Making Moves**

 **Shinjuku Park, 6:27 [Two Hours Earlier]**

The imp was still standing there with its arms crossed, one foot tapping the ground impatiently. It looked to be annoyed, but Sampson was pretty sure the little guy was hiding a mischievous personality beneath that angry façade.

Suddenly a biped red lizard went up to the blond man wearing shades. The reptile had a biohazard mark on his chest. "Hey!" It tilted its head curiously. "You're here! So where's Takato? I want to go see him but I can't!"

"Takato…?" a dark blue-haired man murmured. He was wearing glasses. He cast a glance at the blond, who seemed to be their leader. "Yamaki, that's…Henry's friend." The man named Yamaki threw a glance at his fellow comrade, still remaining silent for a moment.

After what seemed to be a few minutes, he finally turned to the reptilian, as well as taking all the other creatures' gazes. "What are you?" he asked for all the humans.

A yellow dinosaur with red armbands looked like it wanted to say something, but before it could, another creature cut it off. It was slightly long, with two forelegs and, an earring, it looked like, on its left ear.

"We're known as Digimon," the being said, surprisingly calm despite its slightly small appearance. "I am Kudamon." Its eyes rested on Sampson for a moment too long, and Sampson felt the tingle in his mind itch even more. "It seems that things have gone more amiss than I've realized."

"Indeed, it seems they have," a low voice rumbled. Everyone's head jerked up at the sound of the towering knight's voice. Sampson had practically forgotten he was there. "I am Alphamon," the cloaked warrior proclaimed.

"Digimon?" a dark-skinned man (also wearing sunglasses) blurted at the same time as Yushima.

The so-called Digimon named Kudamon suddenly came up to Sampson, followed by a turtle on its hind legs going up to Yushima. Sampson instinctively tensed. Kudamon waited. Sampson waited. Everybody stayed still, watching the sudden exchanges.

"You really don't remember…?" Kudamon whispered. "I didn't know..." A flash of light interrupted him.

Sampson looked down where his pocket was glowing, or rather, the in _side_ of his pocket was. He instinctively pulled out the device he'd found only half an hour earlier. And yet some part of him knew that he'd used it countless times before, the same part of him that knew that he wasn't just seeing Kudamon for the first time now.

As much as he willed himself to remember, to delve deeper into forgotten memories stowed away, his gears stopped working at that, though the sight of Kudamon had blown some of the fog away. But not all of it.

Not even most of it.

Sampson heard Yushima gasp when he saw the device in Sampson's hand. The screen was shining brightly. Yushima pulled out his own green version, and soon it was glowing as well.

"Yushima…" the turtle started quietly.

A blonde woman gasped. "That's…"

Just then, a short green rabbit walked over and looked at Sampson and Yushima. "Wait a second; you guys have partners? Since when do—whatcha call it…adults!—right, since when do adults get partners?! _And_ you've got some weird… _Digivices_ with you too!"

"Partners?" all the humans said in unison, along with other, unfamiliar voices. The black-armoured Alphamon glanced at his belt, where six different coloured gadgets were clipped there.

 _"_ _What are partners?"_ a voice crackled through the gizmo. Everyone's gaze was now transfixed on the voices coming out of yet more different coloured devices. _"Takuya and the others have the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors."_

 _"_ _That's us!"_ another voice piped up.

"Spirits?" an Asian woman inquired.

"Incredible," a long-haired man muttered.

As the whole conversation was happening, Sampson still kept his glowing device—what had the rabbit called it? A Digivice—he still kept his glowing Digivice at the edge of his vision.

It was as if the light was clearing away some of the cobwebs that had gathered in his mind. He couldn't remember everything right away. But it was a start, and all he knew at the moment, or _needed to know_ , was that Kudamon had been a close friend of his. _Not had been,_ Sampson corrected himself. _Still is._

"Digimon…" Yushima repeated. He glanced at the other group of people. "It couldn't have been by coincidence that all of us came to the park when the Digimon were in the park as well. How did you get here?" He directed the question at Yamaki.

"A signal appeared in our database," Yamaki replied. "Though before I was confused as to why, because our job is checking for natural disaster warnings, but now…I'm not so sure that was what we did before." He paused, as if trying to recall something, but instead asked, "How did you two arrive here?"

Sampson and Yushima exchanged looks. Yushima started first. "Just about half an hour earlier, I found this—" He held up his green Digivice. "—hidden in a locked drawer where it was beeping. It led me to the front of the park where it stopped beeping. I called Sampson soon after." Yushima then frowned slightly, as if trying to recall why he'd called him to begin with.

Yamaki turned toward Sampson. "And you?"

Sampson then explained, holding out his red Digivice. "A signal in our database also showed up. Meanwhile, it seems that I found this at around the same time Yushima said he did." He nodded toward the elder man to indicate it was him. "However, as soon as I touched it, it stopped. You said yours started after you had found it and led you to the front of the park."

Yushima looked down at the Digivice. "I don't suppose these just randomly go off when they want to."

Alphamon interrupted them. "That is of a minor problem at the moment. In more pressing terms, I do not believe you've all gathered here when all of us Digimon arrived here at the same time by sheer coincidence. At one time or another, you must have all had contact with Digimon. Your two Digivices, and the fact that some of the assembled Digimon here recognize you, prove that."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then, a long-haired man spoke. "The name 'Digimon' rings a bell in my head, but…everything else is fuzzy."

"How's that even possible?" a blue and red robot asked. "I thought it was only our partners that had their memories erased…"

"Not to be a downer or anything," an orange bat-like Digimon cut in. "But it looks like the sun's about to come up, so won't other people find it weird to find all of us hanging around here?"

"Is there anywhere private we can go to?" Alphamon inquired.

"That can actually _fit_ all of us, mind you," a reddish flying insect groaned. "And where our partners won't be in danger of us."

All the humans shot glances at one another.

"This may come out offensive, but...why should we help you?" the blue-haired man questioned. "Out of complete cautiousness. None of you are anything we've ever seen before, so you must understand, how can we trust you?"

"Because you've helped us before," a brown rabbit insisted. Then she paused, eyes widening. "And if you cannot remember, then I can prove we've met."

"Really?" the man blinked. "How?"

"I am known as Lopmon," the Digimon named Lopmon said. "And you are Janyu 'Tao' Wong, father of Suzie Wong, who also happens to be my partner."

Every person, except Sampson and Yushima, because they hadn't known his name to begin with, gasped in shock.

"How did you know that?" Janyu looked surprised.

"Because," the red-haired woman said softly. "He says we've all met before. Do you think…that's enough proof?"

Sampson glanced down at Kudamon, who seemed to be what Lopmon had called his 'partner'. Something stirred in his heart, something he'd felt he'd lost for a while, as more pieces slowly floated back into place, and the fog started clearing out. It was as if staying with Kudamon helped to blow it away.

"It's true that I don't remember as much," he began slowly, making sure everyone was listening. "But…before this happened…the world…"

"..our world…" Yamaki said, a clarity returning to his eyes. "…it was in some kind of danger…"

"Not _was_ ," Alphamon corrected. "It still _is_. Not just this world, but where we come from, the Digital World, as well. And the children—the children partnered to all these Digimon around you, are the only ones that can stop this new danger. And that is where our problem lies."

"If we forgot…" a short-haired blonde said. "Then that means…"

"They forgot as well," the Asian finished grimly.

"But _we're_ remembering," an orange-haired man persisted. "I mean, we're starting to remember. If you were all to find your partners and convince them otherwise—"

"THEN THEY'D DIE!" all the Digimon shouted, some in anger, some in sadness, and others in despair.

"What do you mean by that?" Yushima asked quietly.

"We were told," a yellow dinosaur continued, "that if our partners saw us, they'd die!"

"But…" Everyone glanced from Kamemon to Yushima, Kudamon to Sampson, as if asking with their eyes.

"I do not understand what the difference is between these two scenarios," Alphamon said, taking charge again. "But if we are to take any course of action, then we must do so by first explaining the whole situation to you all so as to inform you of the impending threat and hopefully refresh your minds a little. And for that, we must be somewhere private." He then added hastily, "That can accommodate us all. And that is very near here, so we can start as soon as possible."

"It can't be Hypnos," Yamaki announced. "I'm sorry. It's a little ways away, and I don't want to risk you all being seen."

"It can't be our police headquarters either," Sampson continued. "For the same reasons. On top of that, it's in Hokkaido."

Suddenly the red lizard's eyes expanded. "I know a place!"

"That's private?" Yamaki checked.

"And will fit us all?" Sampson added.

"Yes and no," the lizard replied. "But—" he said happily. "—with some digging, it will be! It's also near here!"

"It is?" everyone asked.

"Lead the way, then," Alphamon decided.

"Well, if we're gonna be working together, I guess we should know each other's names," the long-haired man said. "You can call me Shibumi."

"Mitsuo Yamaki," the blond with shades nodded.

"Just call me Tao," Janyu said.

"Honestly? Everyone calls me Dolphin," the orange-haired man smiled.

"Rai, but they all call me Curly," the Asian waved.

"Babel," the African American said.

"Daisy," the short-haired blonde stated.

"Riley," the redhead said.

"Tally," a woman with blond hair up to her shoulders said.

"I'm Homer Yushima." Yushima put up his hand in salute.

"Richard Sampson," Sampson finally finished.

"Hey!" a little white Digimon called out from a distance. All the Digimon had already started walking away. "C'mon, everybody's already going! C'mon! C'mon!"

As they went to follow, Sampson noticed that Kudamon and Kamemon had stayed beside him and Yushima, and were now following them as they walked.

"Did anyone else realize that we just left our job back at Hypnos like that?" Tally asked.

"No, we didn't," Yamaki disagreed.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Riley wondered.

"Because _this_ was always our job." He didn't specify it any further and kept walking, at a faster pace this time.

Sampson thought about it.

 _Because_ this _was always our job._

How true those words worked for him and Yushima too, he felt. He looked down at Kudamon, walking faithfully by his side, and a new feeling spread through him.

He leaned down, picked Kudamon up, and let him rest around his shoulders, as he knew his partner had done millions of times before.

* * *

 **Guilmon Home, 7:27 [One Hour Earlier]**

As Guilmon had said, the place they'd gone to hadn't been that far, in fact, they'd only taken a few minutes to get there, sticking to the grass and bushes to avoid being seen.

The much bigger Digimon had somehow gone _into_ their Digivices, though they looked really different from TK's, thought Patamon as he watched a Shoutmon pick up the blue Digivice that two Digimon—Greymon (not the Agumon's Greymon) and MailBirdramon—had gotten sucked into.

At first, Patamon's flying had been slightly stymied by his partner's Crest of Hope hanging around his neck, but now he'd gotten used to it, along with his green D-3. It was like a part of TK had been left behind with him in the form of a small portable souvenir, along with all his memories of his time in the Digital World with his Digimon, stowed away in Patamon's mind.

 _TK…_ Patamon thought as he watched the others make the finishing touches to their digging. _You didn't…you wouldn't…really forget about me, would you?_

"All done!" Guilmon announced with a satisfied smile.

"So…what is this place exactly?" Agumon (the one Patamon didn't know) asked. "And does it have food?"

 _Food!_ Through all the turmoil of events, Patamon had forgotten for how long they hadn't eaten.

Guilmon shook his head sadly. "…No. But when Takato remembers again, he can make Guilmon Bread for all of us!"

"Yay~!" Calumon cheered. "Bread!"

Soon, everyone had filed into the room, or rather, it was a huge room at the moment, dug into the earth. Guilmon came in last and closed the gate. "Even Greymon and MailBirdramon can fit!"

"Uh, no they can't," Terriermon shot back. "This room ain't that big on such short notice!"

 _"_ _It's fine,"_ Greymon's voice came from the strange Digivice. _"We can both listen from in here."_

"Well, that settles that, then," Shoutmon said, placing the Digivice in front of him on the ground where he sat. Everyone was in a loose circle, Digimon on one side, humans on the other, except for Kudamon and Kamemon, who stayed by Sampson and Yushima's side.

"Hang on. How long have you not eaten?" the man named Yamaki asked.

"Uh…" All the Digimon thought for a moment.

"Well," Dracumon said. "It felt like a long time."

"And yet you haven't De-Digivolved," Alphamon mused. "So that means…" He trailed off.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Patamon finally decided to speak up. "Alphamon? You came with the other Royal Knights to rescue us. You said that our partners are the only ones that can stop them. In the Portal, you said you'd explain it to us soon. Now…can you tell us? Anything? We want to help our partners as much as you do!"

Alphamon held his gaze level with Patamon. Then he sighed deeply. "Very well. I asked for a private area because no one can ever know when unwanted ears are listening."

"Alphamon…?" Biyomon (their Biyomon) whispered. But the Royal Knight had already stood up and begun.

"A long time has passed since an evil this great has risen. I explained a brief version to my other fellow Royal Knights before they fell.

"Indeed, this enemy is quite different from any we have ever faced. Neither human nor Digimon. Even at a greater level of power than Yggdrasil, the one they call the god of the Digital World.

"In its own domain, it seems to have the potential to warp time and space. This explains your great hunger yet inability to De-Digivolve: it may have seemed to you to be weeks that you had been in captivity, but it really could have been a few days. Maybe even only many hours. And yet to think that if one had looked at this situation a few years back, we could have done something about it so that this day would not come.

"Our enemy calls itself darkness, though a different kind of darkness, not in the literal meaning, but of the evil sense. There is a place located in the Digital World, or, all your Digital Worlds as I will elaborate soon, unbeknownst to most Digimon, that bridges the gap between Universes.

"It is known as Junction. Our foe seems to have come from there. At first it was small, left undetected by all, slowly gaining in power, until it has become the threat you now see ravaging the Digital World. It has the ability to create its own species of whatever horrific creature—"

Patamon thought of the giant they'd narrowly escaped from.

"—or use the creatures that already exist and bend them to its will. Many of the enemy's creatures are most likely manipulated puppets from corrupted, sad, and defeated Digimon." Patamon shuddered at the thought of one of his friends being controlled by this darkness.

Alphamon continued.

"I am sure it has come to your attention that I said Digital World _s_ , as in the plural. The other thing you may have noticed is that some of you carry different model Digivices than others. On top of that, some of you are not familiar with terms that are familiar to others, such as Digiegg. I hinted at why this is, and perhaps you too have been pondering over this."

"You said that we…we're all from different universes," Psychemon said slowly.

"What's that mean?" Calumon wondered, eyes wide.

"It means," Tentomon reasoned, "that we all have our own version of the Digiworld, as well as the Human World where our partners live. That explains why we all have different kinds of Digivices—"

"But ours," Shoutmon interrupted, "or Mikey and the others', these things have been always called Fusion Loaders for us."

"Actually, there are names for all your different Digivices," Alphamon put in.

"Tai's is just a regular ol' Digivice, though," Agumon said.

"But Davish'sh ish a D-3," Veemon added.

"Takato's is a…D-Power," Guilmon recalled.

 _"_ _Takuya called his a D-Tector,"_ Agunimon's voice crackled from the red Digivice at Alphamon's belt.

"Marcus's is…" the other Agumon thought for a while. "…a Data something, I think."

"Data _Link_ ," Gaomon assisted.

"Right, now I remember. But I think it's also called a Digivice Burst."

"Like Shoutmon said before about Mikey, Tagiru's is a Fusion Loader," Gumdramon ended.

Patamon listened to them speak, especially paying attention to the human names they had mentioned.

 _Those must be their partners,_ he thought. _Are they worried about how they can help their partners as much as I am to help TK?_

 _"_ _But what I don't get is,"_ Loweemon was saying from a black D-Tector, _"if we're from different universes, how are we all together right now? And since we're together, whose universe are we supposedly in?"_

Alphamon nodded as if addressing him. "That would be in part of the enemy's doing. Around us exist many universes—some parallel worlds to others, or some completely different worlds of different aspects—and all together, they make up what we call the Multiverse.

"Somehow our enemy was able to combine all the universes together to create one that has attributes of all of them. So this Real World has characteristics of all your partners' different Real Worlds, as the Digiworld we were just in has characteristics of all your different Digital Worlds. It would seem you humans may have come from different universes as well," Alphamon added, glancing at where the eleven people sat, listening intently.

Everyone boggled at this for a moment longer, especially the humans taking in the news with the most shock.

Then Tentomon said, "But Izzy and…the partners of all these Digimon—how are they all different from the rest? I mean, there are Chosen, or DigiDestined, to differentiate between the two, all over the world—"

 _"_ _There are?"_ all the Spirits said at once.

"—so how are they so different? What makes our partners…and us…the key to winning?"

Alphamon stayed silent for a moment, as if contemplating on how he would word it. Then he spoke softly, and everyone leaned in to hear. "Long ago, much before your partners were born, it was foretold that there would be the Great Prophecy of Gifts, spoken by the Sovereigns, to be said with their last breath, and that the key was in five universes.

"Now recently, just before the Four Holy Beasts died, they uttered the Prophecy, speaking of forty-six Chosen Children that would come to aid them and save the Multiverse. The Royal Knights were also there, gathered at Dream Cave, as well as Gennai. All of them had already learned that the Chosen had lost their memories of the Digimon. We called the Chosen via their dreams, so they too would witness the Prophecy being said. Examon, Gankoomon, Jesmon, and I were also summoned that way as well while we were gone…afar."

"A prophecy…" Guardromon mused. "We're being led onward by a prophecy?"

"So it seems," Renamon spoke up for the first time. "But how certain are you that all of _our_ partners are indeed the ones specified in the Prophecy? And that is only if they are specified at _all_."

"Very certain," Alphamon confirmed. "Quite. The Four Holy Beasts have been watching all of you to determine that." He gazed at them all, holding their eyes level. "But if you really all need proof…there may be a way to find it."

"Really?" Gatomon asked curiously. "And how's that?"

"What the Sovereigns uttered was called the Great Prophecy of Gifts. It is said to have specified for all of the children _together_. However…"

Dorulumon guessed the answer. "I suppose there are lines that weren't spoken that specify to each of them. But if so, how would we hear it, or even, find it?"

Alphamon nodded. "And that would be our other problem. These other parts—the parts that the Sovereigns did not speak of—branch off from the Great Prophecy that the Sovereigns did speak of. However, none of us actually knows what or how to find them."

"WHOA WHOA WHOA," Terriermon threw up both his ears (as well as his hands) for good measure. "One thing at a time, big fella. First we actually want our partners to, like, remember us first."

"He's right," Falcomon agreed. "My main concern is helping Keenan right now."

"We'll help too," Sampson said, Yushima nodding right beside him. "Yushima and I."

He glanced at Agumon (not the one Patamon knew), Gaomon, Lalamon, Falcomon, Biyomon (also not the one Patamon knew), and Black and White PawnChessmon.

"Though I don't remember all of it, I can understand…your partners were Marcus and the others. Rest assured, we just saw them yesterday. They were all fine. But…like me, they don't seem to recall a thing about Digimon…only each other. But we'll try our best."

"We'll help too," Yamaki vowed. "It's fuzzy, but…we helped them…Takato and the rest…to help defeat the enemy of…our world." He seemed to find it uncomfortable (or weird) to be saying _our world_. "And if they're needed to save this world, or all the worlds for that matter, then we'll help them—as well as all of you—again. However we can." A chorus of agreement from Riley and the rest followed his words.

"Just a question," Tally said. "All of you Digimon mentioned that if your partners see you, then…they die. How exactly do we avoid this outcome?"

The Digimon all looked at one another. Finally, Biyomon (yup, the one that Patamon knew) said, "While we were in the Digiworld…we found our partners' memories…"

"…in the form of a liquid, for some strange reason," Tentomon piped up.

"…and then we were visited by what looked like our partners, only, they were see-through, and they told us that if our partners saw us, then they'd die, and they said that there was a way for them to remember, but they started fading away, and all they said was drink it, so we drank the liquid which is apparently our partners' memories and…and…that's it."

For a while no one said anything, everyone trying to understand what the pink bird had just said.

Calumon's ears shrunk. "Uh…I don't get it."

"Trust me, kid," Ballistamon muttered. "No one does."

"But if there's a way to make them remember…" Tao murmured. "Then we haven't lost all hope yet."

"Indeed," Alphamon agreed. "But the question is…how?"

"Well…" Yushima started. "If they're all the key to this enemy's defeat, then they'll all have to work together. And if they'll all have to work together…then they'll all have to meet together."

"You said that if your partners saw _you_ ," Kudamon ventured, looking at the Digimon assembled, "then they would die. What if Sampson and the other humans were to mention anything about Digimon to them, or anything associated with Digimon?"

Everyone looked at one another. They had no idea. Patamon himself didn't remember anything about TK (well, the see-through TK) saying anything to him about that.

"We don't know," Agumon answered for everyone. "We didn't hear anything about that."

"But that doesn't mean it isn't dangerous," Babel said evenly. "It could be that anything associated with Digimon that they hear could kill them."

Another round of dead silence. Dolphin—Patamon thought it was a funny name—said, "But there doesn't seem to be anything else we can think of, is there? Whatever the case, we'll have to be careful with the questions we ask."

"That s'posed mean we're goin' for it?" Impmon checked.

"Dolphin's right," Shibumi confirmed. "It's the only thing we can come up with right now, and if what you say is correct…er, Alphamon…then the whole…Multiverse…is in danger as we speak."

"We'll need your help for this, too," Yamaki said, looking at all the Digimon. "How soon do you want us to…well, initiate our plan?

"As soon as possible, I suppose," Dobermon said. Alphamon nodded in agreement.

"Then we'll do it today," Sampson and Yamaki declared.

Patamon zoned out for a moment. He was suddenly focused on TK's Crest and what it stood for...what TK stood for... _why_ he always stood, right beside his Digimon partner.

Patamon thought he saw the Crest of Hope starting to glow a faint yellow but soon faded away, making him pretty sure he had imagined it.

 _TK's always put his hopes in me,_ the Digimon recalled, strong-willed. _Now it's time for me to put my hopes in him. He_ will _remember!_

 _I know he will._

~X~

In the shadow of a bush, he listened.

Alphamon had thought that this place was private. He thought wrong.

It had been easy to track them down—a large group of Digimon was hard to go unnoticed.

Their conversation was interesting. And important. If what they wanted to do would work, then…

But it was still dangerous. Whatever they were doing would be a gamble. But the Chosen were best known for winning those kinds of gambles, and pulling off miracles, at that.

Despite it all, he laughed. Not a laugh that anyone could hear or sense, but a silent laugh, at how perfect everything was fitting into place, that they were advancing—even though it was just one step—closer to their final goal, no matter how far it was from now.

For _now_ …he had to wait. The Digimon and humans be doing most of the work anyway. And if their plan really did work, and the Chosen remembered again…

…Then things would be going just as his master wanted.

* * *

 **Hokkaido Police Headquarters, 9:02**

"It's been about three hours," Megumi said, "and Commander Sampson's still not back."

Megumi and Miki were both starting to get worried at where their Commander was now. When they'd tried getting a signal from his communicator, they'd found he hadn't even been _giving_ off a signal. He must've turned it off.

 _Just where could he have gone?_ Megumi thought. But she already knew. _Shinjuku Park._

A little after the duo had gotten the strange signal at Shinjuku Park, Sampson had left. How was that not a coincidence? A few minutes later, the signal had stopped altogether. As much as the two had wanted to, they didn't report it to Yoshino. She had to patrol other streets, anyway. Suddenly Megumi heard Miki speaking to her.

"Hey, Megumi…Commander Sampson's signal is appearing again. He appears to be in some building. And…he seems to be trying to call us right now."

~X~

Miki stared at the screen for a moment, not processing things for a moment. Sampson's signal hadn't been on a second ago, and now it was, appearing in some building in Shinjuku.

She had half-expected Sampson to be in Shinjuku _Park_ , but apparently the communicator disagreed in the matter. Sighing, Miki picked up the call, so that she, Megumi, and Yoshino could hear.

"Hello?" their Commander's voice spoke.

"Yes, sir?" Megumi asked hesitantly.

"Ah, Megumi. Are Miki and Yoshino with you?"

"Yes, sir," the other two chorused.

"Yoshino, where are you?" Sampson demanded.

"On the road, sir. I was just heading back."

"Good. I need you to go back to HQ, and pilot one of our jets here."

"Here?" Miki echoed. "Where is—?"

"You have my coordinates," Sampson said. "I need you here right away."

"Is everything okay there, sir?"

"Everything's fine, Megumi. I just need you three here at the moment. Your duties are finished for the day."

"Finished?" Yoshino's voice sounded shocked. "Now? Already?"

"I'll take care of it," Sampson insisted. "I just need you here. _Now._ "

And with that, the call was cut, leaving three stunned faces. "I'll, uh…be there in a few minutes," Yoshino said. "So where are we going exactly?"

Miki glanced at the monitor again. "Shinjuku. Some building called Hypnos."

"Yoshino, since when can you pilot a jet?" Megumi wondered.

"I didn't even know we _had_ a jet," Yoshino groaned.

* * *

 **-Odaiba High-**

 **Male Restroom, 9:05**

Ken gripped his hands on either side of the sink to steady himself. He'd already been in the bathroom for over ten minutes; he should be getting back to class _now_.

He let go of the sink and made his way to the door. Instantly a wave of nausea hit him and he caught himself on the wall before he could fall again.

It had started a few nights ago. A coldness would hit Ken at random moments, followed by the headaches and queasiness soon afterward. A few times he'd had hallucinations of someone, some _thing_ , lurking in the shadows. Or maybe it was the shadows _themselves_.

Though the mention of Ryo's name had sparked a different kind of reaction from him, this feeling wasn't the same. It was more creepy, for one.

People called Ken smart, even above-average. At one point, they'd said he was a genius. For all that mattered, he'd just smiled it off and said it was genetic.

He was being honest, though. His older brother Sam had been the intelligent one...before he'd died. If people saw Ken in this state now, they'd be calling him delirious.

From the toilets, there came a sudden rumbling sound. Ken glanced in that direction as water started gushing from all the toilet bowls. And it wasn't clear water either. Black, murky, choking water soon flooded the washroom, the liquid up to his ankles, swirling rhythmically around him.

The water was freezing, and rising incredibly fast. Ken involuntarily shuddered, suddenly fixed to the spot.

The fluid was up to his knees. He couldn't feel his toes anymore.

Then the door burst open. "Hey, Ken, is everything—?" Koichi never finished the question.

His eyes strayed to the last stall, where he was staring at something—though Ken didn't get what. There was nothing there. As if reacting to Koichi's entrance, the dark water drained away, to who-knew-where. Ken found himself to be completely dry, but a tingling in the back of his mind stayed.

"You again…?" Koichi murmured, eyes still on the far end. As if remembering his classmate was there, he turned to the other boy. "Right...Are you alright? You were gone for quite a while and Yushio-sensei sent me to get you."

"I'm fine," Ken lied, hating the hesitation and doubt in his voice. He was horrible at lying, according to...someone he couldn't recall. At the moment though, it wasn't like his classmate was looking too good either. "What did you see in the far stall?"

Koichi startled. "Um…what?"

"As soon as you entered, you were staring at the far stall, like something was there."

"There's…" Koichi began before he looked back there again, expression changing to something of horror. "…No…no, it can't be too late…NO, IT CAN'T BE TOO LATE!" He sprinted abruptly, making way for the wall, a hand reaching out. Ken dove and grabbed his shoulders before he could crash face-first.

"Koichi!" Ken gasped. "Are—Are you sure _you're_ alright?"

Koichi stopped, his hand dropping, as if just realizing what he'd been about to do. "Y-Yeah…I…I'm fine now."

Ken could tell he didn't want to talk about it, so he suggested, "Let's get back to class."

Koichi nodded slowly. "Right…class."

As they were walking down the hall, Koichi suddenly said, "Hey, Ken?"

"…Yes?"

"Thanks…" Nothing else needed to be said.

When they reached the class, they found a blue-haired man standing at the front. Henry and Kristy were right beside him.

"Ah," their teacher Yushio-sensei said. "These are the other two you were looking for."

Koichi threw a questioning glance at Henry and Kristy, who threw him an equally confused look. "Yushio-sensei?"

"It seems the four of you are needed for…government matters. I have no choice but to send you off. This is Janyu Wong. You will be escorted by him," their teacher explained. Many of the students were shooting strange glances at the four.

Ken bowed. "Thank you, Yushio-sensei. And…I apologize for being late from the restroom."

Koichi followed suit, excluding the apology. Henry and Kristy had probably given their thanks already, for they were already following the man out the classroom.

"Do any of you know what's going on?" Koichi asked as they were walking at a slight distance from the chap. "Or who that man is?"

"We don't know a thing on what's going on," Kristy replied. "But…Henry knows who that man is."

"Really?" Ken said. "Then…who is he?"

Henry glanced at the two raven-haired boys. "My dad."

~X~

 **3rd Year Class, Room 305, 9:10**

Hideaki thought school would be the usual today. Boy, was he wrong.

At first, things seemed normal: school had started off like it usually started off, until now. Someone had just walked into the class—a red-haired woman. She went over to their teacher, flashed something (a badge?) at her and talked to her for a moment. Their teacher Makoto-sensei nodded stiffly.

The redhead stood up straighter, faced the class, and announced, "Angie Hinomoto, Ryouma Mogami, Ren Tobari, and Hideaki Mashimo, come with me please."

At first, Hideaki had done nothing, remaining still in his seat, trying to register what had just happened. Then Ren leaned over and hissed, "You coming? We're not going if you're not going."

So it was true. That lady _had_ called his name. Easing himself out of his seat, Hideaki was suddenly aware of all the eyes pinned on him and his three friends. Even so, he strode to the front of the class despite his growing unease.

Given her uniform and badge (ID, perhaps) the woman looked to be from the government. Which brought up the question, What would the government want with him? If they suspected (or worse, accused) him of having done something wrong (when he _hadn't_ ), that would seriously hurt his record.

Hideaki wasn't sure if that would affect his dream of opening a takoyaki shop when he was twenty, but hey, you couldn't be too careful.

After bowing to the teacher, the four quickly exited the class, following the female. "I'm Riley, by the way," she said in an abrupt tone.

The foursome held back a few steps from her, still keeping pace all the same.

"So does Riley ring a bell to anyone here?" Angie whispered.

"No," the boys replied in unison.

"I guess we'll just follow her and see what she wants with us," Ryouma sighed.

"What if they think we've done something wrong?" Hideaki asked.

"Well, we didn't," Ren retorted. "Or at least…I didn't. Not sure about you guys, though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Angie growled before they stopped walking.

They had reached the main area, where the front doors were. Only, it was crowded with people. Mostly _students_.

Hideaki could see a few more adults, who seemed to be working with the woman they had just walked with. The kids in the crowd looked to be of different ages: most seemed to be first years, a few second, and some in their third, like Hideaki. He noticed Tagiru, Airu, and Ewan among the crowd, but didn't bother calling them, for everyone was quiet.

Suddenly a blue-haired bespectacled man cleared his throat. Everyone turned to him.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we've called you here. I assure you, we mean you no harm. We only ask that you follow us further."

Hideaki's head was spinning with questions, until the man spoke again. "There are vans that will accommodate you all. The ride back to your homes shall be made as well. If you must know, at the moment we'll be heading to Shinjuku."

* * *

 **-Odaiba Elementary School-**

 **5th Year Class, 9:11**

Mako was worried: for his friend, himself, but most importantly, his own sister.

An orange-haired man had just walked into class and told the teacher that he needed the three of them. He must've been an important guy, because their teacher had actually said yes! Now they were out of Odaiba Elementary and in some parking lot, about to enter some van.

Mako had been taught at a young age to not enter the vehicle of strangers. It seemed that this moment did not apply. For one, Suzie seemed a little at ease. Did she know the man? Oh, well. They had all entered the van now, anyways.

Mako's main concern was his older sister, Ai, though. She hadn't been acting the same for the past few days, not concentrating on stuff that she normally did. Whenever he asked her about it, she'd shrug off the question with an "I'm fine."

While the man was driving, he suddenly said, "You guys can call me Dolphin. Though I think Suzie may know or remember me."

Suzie's eyes lit up. "I thought you looked familiar! You work with my dad, right?"

"You got it. Speaking of which, we're going there."

"Going where?" Ai and Mako asked at the same time.

"To where Suzie's dad and I work."

* * *

 **-Odaiba Junior High-**

 **2nd Year Class, 9:12**

Shinya watched Tommy and Cody leave the class. Some random guy (African-American, maybe) wearing shades, at that, had just walked into the classroom, talked to their teacher, and then called away his two friends. The man had to have been important or Tsubasa-sensei wouldn't have let them go.

Were Tommy and Cody in trouble? They didn't seem to be. The gentleman didn't talk in a gruff tone; but he did sound urgent. All Shinya did know was that his two buddies—old and new—had been just as clueless about it as he was.

"Hope they're not in trouble," Shinya muttered.

"Cody in trouble? Not likely," said a female voice. Shinya turned around. He'd seen this girl yesterday, but it wasn't like they'd actually talked face-to-face. She had dark hair flowing a few inches below her ears.

"You know Cody?" Shinya asked, surprised.

"Oh, yes, we go way back," the girl replied. "I'm pretty sure he still remembers me, and probably just didn't see me yesterday. You're Shinya, right?"

"Yeah," Shinya answered, letting the shock wear off that she knew his name. "What's your name?"

The girl's eyes glinted. "Noriko."

* * *

 **-Odaiba University-**

 **Economics Class, 9:13**

Akira still couldn't quite understand what had just happened. One minute, economics class had gone normally. The next, a blonde woman walked in, talked to their professor, who'd frowned, then called away his friend (and former band mate) Matt, his other friend (also known as Matt's best friend) Tai, and some other blond dude named Christopher.

Jeez, were they involved in something? Akira couldn't even guess what the _something_ was. But there wasn't really any point in assuming anything, so he just had to hope that they weren't in any sort of trouble.

 _Were they?_

* * *

 **Hypnos Headquarters, 9:15**

Yamaki gazed down the glass windows with Sampson. Soon, they'd be here. The Chosen would be here, and the next phase of their plan would be executed. Given it would work.

Getting the Digimon to Hypnos had actually ended up not being too hard. Apparently those 'Fusion Loaders' could house a lot of Digimon at once, so getting them all there ended up not being much of a problem, with Yamaki and the other humans simply carrying the Fusion Loaders on their belts.

Instead of simply letting the workers in Hypnos be let off for the day (which would look really suspicious), Yamaki decided to keep one of the enormous rooms on one of the top floors marked as private. There really wasn't much they could do.

After talking to all of the Digimon with partners, they were able to get the Chosens' full names into their database to get any information on them. Apparently most of them went to Odaiba High. Some were in Odaiba University, and a few were scattered in Odaiba Elementary and Junior High. The others that weren't in any of them…

Since it was school hour at the moment, most of them (meaning Yamaki and the other humans) had thought of calling all of the kids together after school/classes were over. Alphamon then insisted that it be done ASAP (which meant now) so Yamaki had to send his colleagues to all the schools and university to get them.

He had even sent printed files of the Chosen (their Digimon partners were extremely useful in giving their partners' full names and other important info on them) so his coworkers would know what they looked like.

Sampson had already called his three officers, who just happened to be three of the kids they were looking for (though at 22 years, Yamaki wasn't sure if they could be considered as kids). Just then, Yamaki's phone rang. He picked it up and put it on speaker so Sampson could hear as well. "Hello?"

"Yamaki, this is Riley. I've already called the others so we could count our number."

"What've we got?"

"Yamaki, our count is forty-four. There're two we've missed."

The blond thought hard. _Who could've we missed?_

Sampson snapped his fingers. "That's why. Thomas is already a doctor. Of course you didn't find him in the schools or university."

"That explains it," Riley said. "We know the other one who's missing too."

"Who's that?" Yamaki and Sampson asked in unison.

"She goes to Odaiba High, but was absent today. Her name is Rika Nonaka."

* * *

 _Looks like Yamaki, Sampson, and the others have finally remembered a little about Digimon and have a plan to help the Chosen! But it seems that the enemy knows…and wants it to happen? Who was watching Alphamon and the others in the bushes? What was the black water in the bathroom and what was it that Koichi saw and heard? Are we getting closer to the Chosen gaining their memories back? You'll just have to keep reading_ Digimon: The Worlds' Last Hope _to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Takoyaki: A ball-shaped Japanese snack, typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion. It's a very casual fast food in Japan, though it is not treated as a meal, but more of something you can get from street vendors. (That's also the kind of shop Hideaki wants to open when he's 20.)

~X~

 _Well, there's Chapter 8 for ya! Only have Suzie and Ren's POV to do, and then everyone's (all 46 Chosen, at least) POV will have been done at least once. Below is what I ask you to please read._

 _This chapter has been updated. With my great skills in geography, I just remembered Hokkaido's on the opposite side of Shinjuku. Megumi, Miki, and Yoshino would've had to take a plane to get to Shinjuku. Dang it._

 ****IMPORTANT NOTE:** _Summer passed by fast this year. For me, classes start tomorrow. You can probably guess what I'm gonna say. If I've got a lot of homework, I won't have time to write. It's not like this fic is on hiatus or anything, it just means that updates from now 'til June 2016 will be significantly slower. Let's just hope it won't take_ _too_ _long. If I really am taking a while, check my profile for my status update on this fic. I will most likely have said if I have any major tests/assignments that have stymied my writing. Thank you for reading, and please review if you can, I want to know what you think of this fic! Until next time!_ ******


	9. In Loving Memory

**A/N:** _Huh, I did not expect Chapter 9 to be up this early... Ironically, this took a shorter time than Chapter 8, but it's still longer in size. XD This actually came out_ _way longer than I thought it would (as always), but for once I'm actually happy with the way it turned out. I just hope you enjoy!_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters…yeah, I don't. Enough o' that, now! On with the story!_

~X~

 **Chapter 9: In Loving Memory**

 **Nonaka Residence, 9:20**

Rumiko Nonaka was in the kitchen when the phone rang. She rushed to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Rumiko? Is that you?" came the voice on the other end. It sounded oddly familiar.

"Tao, is it?" Rika's friend's father, Henry, it must be. But why would he be calling now?

"Yes," Tao answered. "I'm calling because…" There was a pause as someone else's voice came in, speaking to Tao. "I know this is slightly intruding, but is Rika alright?"

The abrupt question threw Rumiko off, but she quickly composed herself and replied, "Yes, at the moment, she's fine."

"That's great. Actually, I called you because…we need her."

"You _need_ her?"

"…Yes…we need her assistance at Hypnos. We'll be sure to drop her off at your home when we're done, but—"

"Tao, I'm not about to send Rika out just when—when—"

"Rumiko, it's really urgent—"

"I don't care how urgent it is! You don't know what happened yester—" She stopped as her very own mother Seiko rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Let her go," the elder whispered. "She's fine. She's a strong, grown woman. After all, I don't think this is the first time we've let her off, don't you think?"

Rumiko realized the call hadn't been dropped yet. She sighed and spoke to the other end. "Okay, Tao. Rika can go. But how is she going—?"

"That's been taken care of. We're in front of your house."

"You are?" She went over to a window overlooking the front of their home. A dark blue van was parked there.

"So I suppose you want Rika now?" Rumiko said.

"…Yes. It is of great urgency."

Rika's mother sighed. "Alright. I'll go and get her."

* * *

 **Hypnos Headquarters, 9:21**

This almost felt like their previous job.

As the hours had ticked by, Tally had begun to remember more bits and pieces about Digimon—and how she was related to them.

She realized that Hypnos had _not_ been a place for detecting natural disasters; it had been for detecting Digimon, which, if Tally thought about it deeper, inevitably meant that the Man in Black had probably forgotten about Digimon as well to have said such a thing.

She was also starting to remember how Takato and the others had played such an important role in this as well: they'd had partner Digimon. In their universe (Tally still felt weird thinking that), their main antagonist had been the D-Reaper, a computer program that deleted…everything. In the end, they'd defeated it.

Things should have felt better after Tally had remembered, right?

But _no_. There were still things that didn't seem quite right to her. Or to any of the other humans.

Guilmon and everyone else (excluding the Spirits) had been given food to eat, from where Tally had no idea. She thought the little white puffball named Calumon looked especially cute. As the Digimon had wolfed down the foodstuff, they (including the Spirits) had recounted their last moments before their partners had forgotten everything.

Despite being from different worlds, their retellings mostly sounded similar. They'd all been surrounded in some kind of darkness, and that darkness, it seemed, was the thing that had stolen the kids' memories away. No one remembered completely what had happened after that moment, or how the Chosen had been in that situation to begin with.

Tally also couldn't shake off Guilmon's words.

 _"_ _All I know is, before Guilmon and his friends left somewhere, they went to you for something. Don't you remember?" But Tally could not, for the life of her, remember anything about that._

But it seemed that the whole world had forgotten about Digimon, as well, how Tally didn't know. Another question to add to their endless list.

"Alright," Yamaki said. "So Rika and Thomas have been taken care of?"

"Yes, sir." Tally snapped back into the present. "Tao's picking Rika up along the way."

"And about Thomas…could the roof of Hypnos act as a landing pad?" Sampson wondered.

Yamaki flicked his lighter, a thing he did when he was thinking, then said, "Maybe it could. Are you saying he's arriving by helicopter?"

"Apparently so. The pilot will most likely land on the roof of this skyscraper, since it's the nearest and easiest way to land."

"…"

"That teen owns a _chopper_?" Tally muttered.

Sampson glanced at the both of them. "In our…well, universe…Thomas is a European noble, as well as a child prodigy."

Yamaki raised an eyebrow. "Hang on. _Where_ do you live?"

"Well, aside from the Damons and Criers, who just moved to Odaiba last month, we all live in Hokkaido."

"HOKKAIDO? How'd you get to Shinjuku today?"

"Our police facility offers many modes of transportation," Sampson said dryly. "One of them is by plane. Though I believe our original name was DATS, Digital Accidents Tactical Squad."

"So you were an organization that dealt with Digimon, too?" Yamaki said. "So were we, but we were still called Hypnos. To think we're from different universes…"

"I know…" Sampson blinked, or Tally thought he did, because it was kind of hard to see his eyes behind the shades.

It was one thing that they were both leaders of two different organizations dealing with Digimon from two different worlds. It was another thing that they managed to hold the same fashion statement as well.

Sampson spoke again. "So about the landing pad…?"

Yamaki clicked his lighter even more rapidly. "Well, let's see. There's some crazed lunatic calling itself Darkness out to destroy our world and the Digital World, as well as what everybody calls the Multiverse. The only thing that can stop it are a bunch of kids from a bunch of different universes along with their partners known as Digital Monsters." He sighed. "I guess the roof _has_ to act as landing pad now." He pulled out his phone.

"Who are you calling?" Tally asked.

"Riley," Yamaki replied. "If I was ever about to do something crazy, we promised to do a bet on whether I'd get fired for it or not."

* * *

 **Front of Hypnos, 9:30**

Ren gazed up, out of the passenger seat window, at the looming skyscraper before them. Ryouma was in the seat beside him, with Tagiru, Ewan, Airu, and Angie somehow all squashed in the back. Part of Ren felt pitiful for them. Most of him felt amused. Hideaki had called on shotgun first. In the driver's seat was their escort Riley.

It hadn't taken as long as Ren had expected to get to their destination in Shinjuku. The tall building looked to be it.

"Somebody tell me we're here," Tagiru groaned.

"We're here," Riley assured, looking at him through the rearview mirror. "We'll be getting out soon. Sorry if there wasn't much room back there."

"Don't worry about it," Angie muttered under her breath.

"Hey, at least we're out of school," Hideaki pointed out, all too cheerily. He plastered on a wide smile as he turned to look at the six. "C'mon, you guys, the ride wasn't that bad if you ask me."

"Hideaki, when we get out, I'm gonna strangle—"

"Save it for later, Tagiru," Ewan sighed.

"Listen to Ewan for once," Airu added, giving the blond boy a charming glance.

Ryouma rolled his eyes mockingly. "Hey, what was that I saw from the mirror, Ryouma?" Tagiru asked half-hotly, half-sarcastically.

"Oh, nothing," the silver-haired boy replied. He glanced at Ren beside him. "You've been awfully quiet. Something wrong?" All his friends' eyes turned to him.

In response, Ren threw them all a yes-why-do-I-hang-out-with-idiots look.

* * *

 **-Hypnos Headquarters-**

 ** **Ground Floor – Main Entrance, 9:37** **

Suzie entered with Ai and Mako right beside her as Dolphin led them to one of the elevators. Before getting out of the van, he had called someone and said discreetly, "We're here," before putting his phone away and leaving the vehicle, the trio at his heels. Suzie had noticed a bunch of other vans in front of theirs and had wondered if anyone else was here.

At the moment, they were in the elevator and Dolphin punched one of the buttons, and soon enough, they began to ascend. Suzie glanced at the glowing number he had pressed: 70. It was the greatest number on the elevator wall.

 _Wow,_ she thought. _We're going high._

"Why do you need us here?" Ai asked. "It must be important, or you wouldn't have called us out of school."

The man hesitated, while the children waited expectantly for his answer. Finally he said, "Well, it isn't my call to make on this one. I also wouldn't be able to explain it to you either, even if I tried. You'll just have to wait. I think everyone else is already here, judging by all the vans."

 _Everyone else?_ Suzie thought. She had a feeling she knew who, but she had no idea where that feeling was coming from.

The lift chimed once they reached the seventieth floor, and the doors slid smoothly open, revealing a bare hallway with white walls stretching on either side. The four stepped out and the doors glided shut behind them.

They turned right, the kids following Dolphin through the dimly lit corridor. Every few metres a door would pass on either side of the wall, but Dolphin kept going until they reached the very end of the hall where the door to the staircase was there. Beside it was another door with a plaque that read:

 **AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY**

The doorknob had a slot to slip a card through, along with a keypad and fingerprint scanner. There was a little light glowing red. That was quite a lot of security for one room. Must be if people want privacy, Suzie reasoned.

Dolphin pulled out a blank yellow card, slid it through the slot, typed in a number on the mini-keyboard (Suzie couldn't see what he had keyed in because he blocked it with his other hand), then pressed his forefinger on the fingerprint scanner.

The light switched to green, and with a satisfied click, the door swung ajar slightly. Dolphin pushed the door fully opened, stepped inside, and beckoned for Suzie, Ai, and Mako to follow. They complied, and Dolphin shut the door behind them.

Suzie was aware of the next click that followed as the door was closed.

They were in a carpeted hallway that stretched out straight for a few metres. When they reached the end, Suzie stifled a gasp.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the room was how big it was. Suzie didn't think it was possible that the room could be this huge, given the many other doors they had passed before, proving there were a lot of other rooms on this floor.

The second thing she noticed was the amount of people already in the room, and that most of them weren't even adults (but that didn't mean there weren't any grown-ups at all). They were seated on a bunch of sofas, lounging chairs, and other seats scattered throughout the room, but more or less facing the same thing: a huge flat screen TV erected on the wall. Suzie thought a 50" was big. This thing looked to be at least 70"!

Everyone's head turned when they walked in. Suzie recognized her father among one of the adults, but didn't dare call him out. She wasn't a kid anymore back when…back when… Her mind fogged over, and she staggered slightly. She would've tripped had Ai and Mako not been there to catch and hide her near fall.

"You okay?" Mako whispered. Suzie shot a grateful smile and a slight nod his way.

"Suzie?" a voice said in disbelief. It was her brother, Henry. Where was he? She scanned the crowd, ignoring the countless eyes staring back at her, and finally noticed her older sibling sitting on one of the couches, still in his school uniform. Just what was going on?

"So I think everyone's here now?" an older boy with wild hair asked. He looked to be a few years older than Henry and carried an instinctive air of authority. "As you said, when the last three people arrived, you'd tell us what's going on. Well, here they are."

"I think we should let them sit down first," suggested a man Suzie recognized as…Shibumi!

"Yes, do take a seat wherever you like," her father put in. She looked at him, trying to read his emotions, but his face was impassive.

The three sat in a vacant sofa that just fit all of them. Dolphin walked over to where the other adults were standing, seemingly inspecting all the kids present. An awkward silence followed, until Yamaki (Suzie recognized him for his blond hair, sunglasses, and lighter) spoke. "I'm surprised that all of you are so quiet. You don't have any questions?"

"Plenty of 'em," said a spiky-haired boy, who looked to be Henry's age. He was wearing goggles around his neck, like Takato did nowadays instead of on his head. "We're just waiting for the answers. So? Why'd you bring us here?"

"And if it's got to do with Sampson and Yushima," another older boy with slightly long brown hair said, nodding toward a blue-haired man wearing shades and an elder man with a receding hairline, "then it's gotta be for a good reason."

Yamaki was about to answer him when the beeping started.

~X~

 **70th Floor – Private Room #2, 9:45**

Terriermon and the other Digimon were in the room adjacent to the one all the Chosen were in. There was even a door that led directly in there, but it was locked (with only a lock, not one of those fancy keypads) in case one of the kids tried going through, only to find a large assembly of Digimon (what a shock that'd be).

He didn't feel too surprised when he noticed Alphamon could fit in the room. Heck, even Greymon and MailBirdramon could fit in there, with very little room to spare (but they decided to stay in the Fusion Loader)! After learning that most of the Digimon around him were actually from different universes, he wasn't about to let himself get shocked for anything else.

Ah, the joys of being wrong!

The room the Chosen were in (also known as Private Room #1, or PR#1) was completely soundproof, except to PR#2 (unfortunately, their room was not completely soundproof, so they had to keep quiet), where the Digimon were housed, so their Digimon partners could hear what was going on in there.

There were even hidden cameras put about in PR#1, so the Digital Monsters could watch from their own huge 70" flat screen (on reclinable leather chairs, ottomans, and other comfortable seats) what was going on in there. Kudamon and Kamemon also accompanied them and not their partners, because they didn't want to take the chance of the kids seeing any sort of Digimon.

(On a side note, Terriermon thought that the TV in their room was an especially awesome upgrade to the Hypnos place.)

And that was when the beeping had started.

Terriermon had been holding Henry's D-Power ever since they had escaped from that freak of a fortress. It had been doing nothing but looking pretty since then. Now, it was buzzing and whirring like crazy, and a holographic compass suddenly came up, the arrow spinning dizzily for a long time before deciding to settle on pointing…

…toward the door leading

to the room

where all their partners were in.

 _Seriously, though. What the heck are the chances of that happening?_ Terriermon groaned inwardly. He was barely able to hold his partner's D-Power altogether, what with the tiny fingers he had.

As he looked around, he noticed that everybody's Digivices they were holding were reacting madly as well.

The 'regular' Digivices and D-3's were blipping loudly, showing a small dot glowing in a variety of colours, depending on what colour the Digivice was.

The D-Powers, well, were doing the same thing as Terriermon's was.

The D-Tectors were also showing a blinking light coming from the screen, except that it looked like the _Spirits_ were now coming out (somehow), in their translucent forms, the D-Tectors gliding into the translucent Digimon's hands from the belt they were clipped to, much to a startled Alphamon's surprise.

The Data Links were just beeping, though really loudly.

And the Fusion Loaders, huh…a holographic 3-D scope of Hypnos suddenly appeared, hovering a few millimeters above the screens, with glaring dots winking in and out in a certain area.

It was all so weird. _Story of my life,_ thought Terriermon.

"Agh, what's happening now?!" Data Link Agumon cried. "And how did you guys get outta there?" He directed the last question towards the Spirits.

"None of us know," KendoGarurumon supplied gruffly.

"We didn't get out intentionally," Lobomon added. "It was more like we were pulled out."

"Yeah," Beetlemon agreed. Terriermon still thought it was seriously creepy that he could hear their voices but see right through them. Then again, he'd seen his partner's Inner Conscience just recently. Beetlemon continued.

"I felt something tugging at me, and the next thing I knew, MetalKabuterimon and I were out here. We're in the Real World, right? I don't even know how it's possible that we're able to keep such a translucent form while holding this." He glanced at the blue and orange D-Tector in his hand.

With his long rabbit-like ears, Terriermon heard shouts and yells coming from the other room. No doubt they'd heard the loud raucous these Digivices had created.

There was a sudden knock at the door. All the Digimon started. It wasn't from the door connecting to PR#1, it was the door that led out into the hall.

"It's us," came Yamaki's voice. "We're coming in." Terriermon guessed it took a few seconds for him to slide the card in, punch in the code, and press his fingerprint on the scanner, before all the grown-ups came walking in. "Now what's going on and what is that sound?"

Everyone took a moment to digest the scene. "It's the Digivices," Sampson realized. "They're reacting just like mine and Yushima's did."

Suddenly the green D-Power in his tiny hands shuddered, and Terriermon felt an odd sensation as the D-Power jerked forward suddenly, sending Terriermon with it, right toward the door it had been pointing at.

He would've loved to say he had cruised toward the doorway. Sadly, that was not the case. With a finally pitch forward, his whole self slammed into the slab of wood unceremoniously. Instantly his friends (most notably Guilmon and Calumon) started peppering him with "Are you okay?" and "Does it hurt?" and "Did you notice that big door?" and "Did you try turning the handle?"

"Moumantai," Terriermon grunted, pushing himself off the door. "I'm good. So happy you guys are thinking about me." He suddenly swiveled his ears up a notch, trying to pick up what was happening outside. Every person and 'mon silenced, realizing what was happening, and struggled to listen too.

 _Uh-oh,_ he realized. _Did I do this?_

"What was that?!" someone—a girl—gasped. "It sounded like it came through that door!"

"Mimi…" Palmon murmured.

"Sure did," another replied. "And it also looks like whatever's making that noise is coming from behind there too." The boy's voice sounded dangerously close as footsteps shuffled forward.

"No, Davish…" Veemon whispered, horrified.

"Oh, no," Shibumi said, rushing out the door.

As if answering their pleas sarcastically, the Digivices reached a crescendo, blipping, beeping, whirring, and doing whatever crazy stuff they'd been doing from before, only ten times louder, it seemed.

 _Dang, what's with these things?_ Terriermon wondered exasperatedly. The arrow on his holographic compass remained pointing at the door.

"What's wrong with this?" Dracumon growled. "It's like it's—pulling me or something!" The grey Fusion Loader jolted in his hands, throwing him forward slightly, similar to what had happened to Terriermon.

"We must leave," Alphamon said. "Now." But everyone realized too late there was nowhere else to go.

Shibumi came rushing back into the room, face filled with urgency. "We've got a problem. The door isn't budging."

"What?" everyone yelled in unison.

"Damn it!" Yamaki cursed. "That shouldn't be possible unless someone's overriding the system! And our monitors would've detected potential hackers! Someone would've informed me!"

A jiggle on the doorknob silenced them all. "Hey, why's this thing locked?" the kid named Davis asked.

"Davis, we shouldn't be doing that," a young boy informed. "If the door is locked, then it means it's meant for privacy and that we shouldn't open it."

"Listen to Cody…" Armadillomon whispered with baited breath, his D-3 blipping more rapidly.

"Well, they're making a hell of a lot of noise in there for it to be called private," said another one.

"B-Boss…" Data Link Agumon sputtered, the orange Digivice in his claws suddenly beeping quicker now.

"Oh no," Calumon moaned. "They think something's wrong!"

"They suspect," Renamon corrected coolly, but Terriermon knew she was secretly very worried for Rika, and everything else that was happening right now.

Terriermon was a little shocked the kids couldn't hear them, but then again, the beeping Digivices kind of drowned out any other noise. He pressed his ears against the door again, until Impmon said, "Hey, did ya notice the TV in front us all?"

 _Stupid,_ Terriermon scolded himself. Duh. The flat screen was there for a reason.

"They're not telling us anything," a shiver coursed through the green rabbit saw Henry speaking. "They're keeping something from us, and I don't get what."

Suddenly his green D-Power went on the fritz again (or more on the fritz than before) and the arrow spun wildly once more, before settling on angling a little to the left. The sound of footsteps reached the rabbit's ears, scuffling over to the right, and with a jolt, Terriermon saw the arrow slowly moving right as well.

Suddenly, Terriermon understood exactly what was going on, though he didn't know why.

"It's reacting to our partners," he said aloud, and was half-surprised he was the one making such a logical hypothesis. "Our Digivices are reacting to our partners."

"That's…" Alphamon started, and everyone's eyes switched to him, hoping that he knew the answer. "…very peculiar. I've never seen nor heard of this before."

"Yes," Gabumon agreed. "Normally, or from what Matt told me and what I've seen, the Digivices only react to us."

"Or, more specifically, us Digimon," Tentomon elaborated. "Or to other Digivices of the same model within an area. But now it's doing the opposite. It's reacting to our human partners. The question is why?"

"Hey," Terriermon interrupted. "Before we start getting all philosophical, how 'bout we decide how we're gonna stop all of them from seeing us once they figure out how to jimmy open the door?" In reply, the doorknob shuddered again, and, glancing at the screen, Terriermon noticed Davis pull something out of his pocket. _A paperclip._

"Davis," a raven-haired boy said hesitantly. "…Don't go too far."

"Ken," Davis replied. "If these adults aren't gonna spill, sometimes, we've gotta figure things out ourselves. Plus, I've got experience with opening locks. Comes in handy when your sister's taking too long singing in the shower."

"Wait, do you mean what I think you just implied?" a violet-haired girl muttered.

Everyone else was having their own side conversations in low, hushed tones.

"Can all of you fit in the Fusion Loaders?" Alphamon suddenly asked. "And the Spirits in the D-Tectors and other Digimon into the Data Links? I can carry all the Digivices and hide elsewhere outside."

Okay, first of all, that was a lot of Digivices to carry. Second of all, Terriermon forgot that the Royal Knight could fly.

He breathed in a sigh of relief all the same. Yes. They could all fit in those Fusion Loaders. In a sense, going into it felt weird. He had to will himself to break up into bits of data (which he technically already was) and then, it was like he was traveling through a vacuum, letting himself be sucked into it, where he landed in a place with floating binary code everywhere, except with his friends around him too.

But this time, something pulled him back. Something he couldn't fathom tangible. Terriermon tried to enter but a tugging against him made him stop. It took him a while to realize it was Henry's D-Power in his hands, pulling against him, that was preventing him from entering.

Calumon had gone into a Fusion Loader; Kudamon and Kamemon had gone into their partners' Data Links, which were in Sampson and Yushima's hands, respectively.

Everyone else, meanwhile, was still stuck in the same position as before, just like Terriermon.

"Looks like I can't get in," Ballistamon finally sighed.

"It appears that none of us can," Guardromon spoke for them all.

"Pu!" was all MarineAngemon said.

There was no more time to think of anything else. If they went out into the hall, they'd also risk the chance of being spotted by one of Hypnos's workers.

"Throw your Digivices on the ground and hide behind the sofas or something!" Terriermon hissed. He dove at the back of an ottoman, for once extremely grateful that he was smaller than most at the Rookie level.

Then two things happened at once. The lock clicked, signaling the door was open, and suddenly, Greymon and MailBirdramon were out of their blue Fusion Loader. Terriermon marveled at their beautiful timing.

The good news was that they actually fit in there, but they both had to bend down quite a bit (their heads still lifted the paneled ceilings up a few inches though). The bad news was that because of their size, there was nowhere for them to hide.

 _Gee, why doesn't De-Digivolving exist in their universe?_ Which brought Terriermon to wonder where Alphamon was?

He glanced around and noticed him settling for a spot behind one of the huge leather back chairs. The Spirits, well…they tried to hide anywhere, though it looked kind of weird to see Digimon you could see through trying to conceal themselves. All the other Digimon were scattered about. The Digivices were left alone where everyone had been standing a few seconds before, still beeping madly.

Then the door swung open. The first thing Terriermon heard was the Davis kid saying, "Why's there a TV showing the room we were just in?"

"Wh-What's with this place?" another boy wondered. Terriermon noticed Ballistamon shudder a few seats down and realized it was probably his partner that had spoken.

"And why are there two weird-looking machines at the back of the room?" another asked.

Oh boy, Terriermon thought. Were those two megazoids playing robots or something? At least no one had died yet.

"What's…?" someone else muttered. Terriermon risked a tiny glance around the ottoman to see a blond-haired boy pick up one of the Digivices. It was a blue Data Link. "This is…"

It happened again. The whirring sounded, and near Terriermon saw Henry's green D-Power react once more. The arrow whirled fast, and as it slowed down a little, the rabbit noticed there were two arrows now. As he looked around, he noticed every type of Digivice was now showing two arrows on their screens, though differently. Some were holographic (like on the D-Power), and some just on the screen (like on the Fusion Loader), winking in and out. But they were all pointing at the same things.

One arrow stayed trained on the Digimon…

…and the other was pointed directly at their human partner.

"I…" Henry began, picking up his D-Power. "I don't know…" Terriermon shrank back, attempting to shove himself _under_ the ottoman, as his partner's eyes grew distant. "No…but I should…"

Terriermon felt that wrench pulling at him again, and he cringed, trying to stay put. Glancing at a big futon right beside him, he noticed Cyberdramon having a similar reaction, struggling to stay hidden where he was, his eyes never off Ryo.

But the tug was strong, and Terriermon couldn't hold on for much longer. The kids were already starting to file in, slowly, slowly. Soon they'd reach the back, where all the seats were, and find them all.

"What the…?" Henry said. "Where's this pointi—?" He never finished his sentence. Terriermon flew from under the ottoman just as Henry jerked forward, the D-Power pulling him Terriermon realized, and before anyone could do anything, Henry and his partner were holding the green Digivice at the same time.

Time slowed after that. Terriermon was barely aware of everybody else around him, as the Digimon (and Spirits) were jerked toward their partners' respective Digivices, shown right into the eyes of their partners themselves! Even the kid that was partnered with the two huge Digimon was met with a look of shock as he held his Fusion Loader face-to-face with them.

But Terriermon was focused on Henry. He was all that mattered right now.

At first, Henry's eyes widened, his jaw going slack, and his Digimon took in his partner's crisp uniform.

"You're…" Henry started, shocked. A "Moumantai" barely escaped Terriermon's mouth as Henry cried out, his eyes rolling up in his head, and he crumpled to the floor. The D-Power lay still on the ground beside them, finally quiet.

Terriermon didn't hear the other humans cry out. He didn't hear the other bodies fall to the ground. He didn't hear the other Digimon's calls of distress.

Instead, a memory resurfaced in him, except it didn't belong to him, it belonged to Henry and he was seeing it from his eyes, and the moment came so clearly it was as if they were there now and not here, as if Terriermon was suddenly Henry and Henry was Terriermon.

 _They'd been fighting Zhuqiaomon with Takato and the rest. His partner Terriermon had just Digivolved into Rapidmon and was facing Zhuqiaomon head-on, without a fear of anything. "Moumantai," he'd always say._

 _And yet Henry was scared, scared for his partner, scared of fighting altogether. He watched Rapidmon take a blow from the flaming winged bird. Then another. And another._

 _He hadn't seen it before. Rapidmon—no, even as Terriermon—his data had been slowly disintegrating, ever since he'd taken such a hard blow after saving his younger sister Suzie, who was too young to be in the Digital World! Henry was her older brother,_ he _was the one that was supposed to take care of her, not his partner!_

 _A shout formed in his throat as he watched Rapidmon De-Digivolve into Terriermon. He looked so tired and worn, why hadn't he noticed this before? "Terriermon!" he called as he ran toward his Digimon._

 _Gently, Henry picked Terriermon up, his eyes brimming with tears, feeling this was his entire fault. "T-Terriermon…"_

 _Terriermon threw him a slight smile. "Moumantai…"_

Terriermon remembered it so clearly now: that had been right before they'd Biomerged into MegaGargomon.

Right before Terriermon had been about to die. And now the opposite was happening.

He reached for Henry's right wrist, and pressed two of his tiny fingers between the two veins like he'd been taught by his partner so long ago, and waited. He didn't feel anything. Finally, after a few minutes, he felt a _thup_ , but didn't breathe a sigh of relief. He waited for another five to six minutes before he felt the _thup_ again. Terriermon's stomach dropped. He knew human hearts weren't supposed to beat that slowly.

"H-H-Henry…" he trembled as tears stung the corners of his eyes. His partner barely had a pulse left to feel.

And Terriermon knew it was all his fault, just as Henry had felt it was his four years ago.

* * *

 **Undisclosed Location, Unknown Time**

He continued to watch all this, as his master asked him to. The fools never heard nor saw him.

He had watched when the Digivices had gone haywire, and when the imbecilic adults had gone out of the room to check on what it was, he'd struck.

Overriding Hypnos's system had been almost too easy. There wouldn't be a trace left to find. And still he'd continued watching the whole scene play out before him.

He'd watched as the human partners had found their Digivices, along with their Digimon. He had seen them collapse to the ground. It would seem that they were merely unconscious, but he knew better that that was not the case.

The children were dying.

Whichever way this went, things would be going just as his master wanted. If they lived (which was very unlikely, but all the same possible, considering it was them they were talking about), then so be it. These forty-six were just his Sama's first choice.

And if the children didn't live—well, there were many other Chosen in the world that his lord could use. He'd heard these kids were quite the nuisance to their past enemies.

It would be a good riddance.

* * *

 **-Hypnos Headquarters-**

 **35th Floor – Infirmary, 9:57**

It had taken a while to get all the kids down to the thirty-fifth floor, where the infirmary was located; smack in the middle for the most convenient access. Shoutmon was surprised that this kind of facility even had a large medical wing such as this. It took up the whole thirty-fifth floor.

The whole time, Shoutmon never left Mikey's side. Almost. Yamaki and the other adults were still cautious about the Digimon being caught, so Shoutmon and the others went back into the Fusion Loaders, Data Links, or D-Tectors (they could finally enter them now).

The ones that couldn't enter their partners' Digivices (the regular Digivices, D-3's, and D-Powers) had to go in the Fusion Loaders, which Shoutmon didn't really mind. It was mostly empty in there, which was the other thing that had been bothering him for a while now.

When he'd first entered the Fusion Loader on their way to Hypnos, Shoutmon had noticed that most of their comrades and close friends were missing. Starmon, Pickmons, Chibitortomon, Dondokomon, Jijimon, Lillymon, Beastmon, Wisemon, and more.

He had checked with the rest of his friends on their Fusion Loaders. Their reports had been the same. Deputymon, Knightmon, PawnChessmon, Deckerdramon, Cyberdramon, Dracomon, Monitamon, Mervamon, Beelzemon, and their other companions in their Fusion Loaders were missing as well.

The Digimon that the Hunters owned, however, still remained in their Fusion Loaders. Was it something to do with how they had been hunted and had not joined forces intentionally? The only thing about that was Cutemon was the exception; then again, he followed Dorulumon everywhere. Shoutmon could only hope that his friends were still out there in the Digiworld.

Somewhere safe from their enemy's tyranny.

Never had he felt so useless, to his fellow Digimon friends, to his human partner. He was the Digimon King (of his universe, anyway), so shouldn't that mean he should have the power to protect them? Apparently not.

They'd already reached the hospice, and the Digimon had been allowed to exit the Digivices after being told they'd been allowed privacy in the infirmary. Shoutmon got out, instantly beside Mikey, whose face showed no sign of waking up. He noticed the other Digimon going off to stay beside their respective partners.

Shoutmon felt a stab of sympathy for Impmon, who sat on a stool between two beds, one of a boy and the other of a girl, right beside Shoutmon. Alphamon stood in a corner, face in deep thought, or Shoutmon thought it was in deep thought; it was hard to tell with his helmet and visor over him. He glanced back at Mikey, looking for some sign of breathing.

All the while, the same scene played out in his head, and yet it didn't belong to him, but felt familiar all the same. And for a second, he wasn't a Digimon named Shoutmon anymore; he was a human and his name was Mikey Kudo.

 _Baguramon had turned out harder than Mikey had expected, especially when he'd gone Darkness Mode. Shoutmon x7 couldn't even make a dent in him!_

 _Another blast from Baguramon sent x7 flying, splitting off into the seven Digimon it had been composed of. All lay on the ground, unmoving, until one finally, painfully, got up._

 _Mikey had respected Shoutmon from the start. Now he respected him even more._

 _Shoutmon slowly walked over to Baguramon, who smirked at the puny thing compared to himself. At first, Mikey didn't know what he was getting at as he watched him make his slow saunter toward their enemy. Then he attacked, and Mikey felt his limbs rush forward without him telling them to._

 _"_ _Shoutmon!" he cried as his partner was flung off almost casually. The cause wasn't lost, Mikey knew that. But he couldn't stand to see his friend going through it alone._

 _But Shoutmon kept going, leaping at Baguramon again and again until he couldn't anymore, and Baguramon reached out a gnarled hand. Mikey was horrified at what was about to happen but still watched as his Digimon partner looked back for what he thought was the last time._

 _He barely heard his words through his blur of sadness. "…see you soon, Mikey…"_

 _Then Baguramon smiled and muttered something like "You fool" before Shoutmon exploded into a cloud of golden dust._

 _At first, Mikey could not comprehend what had just happened. It was like a glass vase falling, so slowly it seemed, taking an eternity to drop until it finally reached the ground and shattered into a million pieces, the same thing that had happened to his life, he mused._

No, _he finally thought._ No, that couldn't have happened… He's still…he's still…

 _"_ _SHOUTMON!"_

And suddenly Shoutmon was a Digimon once more, back in the infirmary where he half-expected Mikey to explode into a cloud of dust, just as he had done, so long ago, he thought.

"Christopher…" Shoutmon glanced at the bed over on his other side to see Greymon and MailBirdramon leaning over their blond partner Christopher. MailBirdramon had been the one that had spoken. He continued to speak, presumably at Greymon. Apparently all the rooms at Hypnos had high ceilings. That was good for both big Digimon.

"Strange," MailBirdramon continued. "It's like I'm seeing everything Christopher saw…"

Had this taken place at least five years ago, Shoutmon would admit that he wouldn't have given a care for Christopher's welfare. The kid had been an all-out jerk. But as time passed, Shoutmon started to realize why Christopher had acted the way he had, and frankly, he'd warmed up to them in the end anyway. It was more like a sarcastic-love-hate relationship between the two of them, but that was the way they liked it.

"You're seeing everything he saw…?" Shoutmon asked confusedly, because something rang wrong with what he'd said. "But Greymon was the one who'd drunk from the jar…"

"Yes," Greymon agreed. "We don't know why or how exactly, but we think—"

"—that because we're so used to being together as a DigiFused form, Christopher's memories transferred from Greymon's mind to my mind," MailBirdramon finished. "We're both his partners to begin with, anyway."

Shoutmon nodded, not totally getting it, until he realized something else. He knew it would be invading the Digimon's privacy a little, but he still looked over at Impmon and said, "Hey, Impmon?"

The dark purple Digimon gazed back at him, trying to look like he didn't care. "What?"

"You drank from both your partners' jars, right?" Shoutmon said in a low tone. He saw Impmon stiffen, but still persisted. "So both of their memories are inside of you now. It's hard enough for me with one; I can't imagine what it'd be like with two. You hanging in there okay?"

Impmon frowned, looking like he wanted to say something harsh, but instead, his voice came out softly, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just that when I first met 'em, they were like five to six or somethin'. Now they're ten, but I still see 'em as young kiddoes." He stayed silent for a long while. Then he said, "It's weird lookin' at things from a lil' kid's point of view. Two, at that. But I'm okay. Thanks fer askin'."

"No problem." Shoutmon looked at his own partner Mikey again, the same thoughts running through his head over and over.

Humans weren't like Digimon; they couldn't be reconfigured again like Digimon could. When they were gone, they were gone. Forever.

And that was what Shoutmon couldn't stand the most.

The only sound in the hospital was the steady beep of all forty-six monitors, observing the kids' heartbeats. A line graph was also present, showing how frequently their hearts were pulsing. For the past moments, Mikey's heart had been beating every thirteen minutes. Shoutmon was informed that if the monitors were to start sounding like crazy—and this was when his stomach had twisted—it would mean heart failure, and then…

He couldn't finish the thought.

"What's wrong with them?" Shoutmon vented angrily, shaking in fear. "Why are they…like this? How is it possible that they're dying just because they saw us?!"

All the adults exchanged looks. Then Daisy spoke. "We…We think this is trauma. Their memories were wiped clean, leaving a gap in their memory now. Their partners—which is you—are the centre of that memory, so them seeing you triggers an unnatural brain response. This leads to brain trauma, which could lead to…" She didn't need to continue.

"So then why didn't that happen to all of _you_?" Armadillomon asked a little accusingly to the grown-ups. "And what can we do to help Cody and the others?"

Instead of any of the humans, Alphamon answered the first question. "The scenario between the adults and the Chosen seem to be completely different, though I am not completely sure how. It seems the rest of the world has forgotten as well, but at the moment, all I can see is that it looks to be that the adults' memories were merely blocked, explaining the fogginess they felt, whereas the Chosens' memories were downright stolen and erased from their brains."

Though he didn't quite get all of it, Shoutmon didn't say anything.

"Okay…" Lalamon said. "But how are we going to save them?"

Yamaki sighed regretfully. "That's the problem. We—We can't really do anything in the case of trauma. Especially since it was a reaction to Digimon, and it's never happened before." He looked like he was about to say sorry, but stopped himself. "I'm sorry" wouldn't sound true enough. Shoutmon didn't even want pity, anyway. He wanted a cure for Mikey.

 _"_ _Shoutmon."_

Shoutmon jolted up, eyes widening. "Mikey?" he whispered aloud.

 _"_ _Shoutmon."_

Shoutmon glanced down at his partner; his eyes and mouth were closed, his chest barely rising and falling with each rare breath. He hadn't spoken. But it had been his voice!

 _"_ _Shoutmon, I'm inside of you."_ And he realized, with a start, that it was true. From the moment he had drunk from the jar engraved with 'Mikey Kudo', a part of his partner had remained inside him, the same part that held their memories together and all their adventures they had, in the Digital World and elsewhere. In a way, it was like he was half-human now. _Half-human._

 _"_ _I'm a part of you, but I'm still connected to your partner's body as well. When Mikey dies, I die inside of you as well."_ Shoutmon did not like how 'when' was used and not 'if'.

 _You said there was a way,_ Shoutmon thought, instead of saying aloud. _Back in that castle. You said there was a way that Mikey wouldn't die, that_ you _wouldn't die! You said I had to drink from the jar, and I did! Whatever happened to that life insurance policy?!_

Shoutmon didn't hear the IC's voice for a long while. He noticed that everyone around him was suddenly frozen; or maybe time had frozen again, just like before. Then the voice came back.

 _"_ _Indeed you did. And by doing so, you now have your partner's memories inside of you. But that is not enough for the transfer. Remember that you are his partner."_

 _I know I'm his partner!_ Shoutmon shot back heatedly. _But I don't get the other nonsense you're getting at!_

 _"_ _You may not know now, but somewhere in you does. You just haven't opened yourself fully to it yet. You have always known the answer."_

Shoutmon thought about it. He thought about what Sampson and Yamaki had said about trauma. Human conditions he didn't really get, but when they tied in with Digimon… Yes, now he got it. Sort of.

He had always wondered from that moment in the castle how it was possible that a memory could be a liquid at the same time. He still wondered that, but that wasn't the point!

He'd mainly considered why they hadn't just brought the jars back to the Real World and let the adults give it to their human partners to drink. It would've been easier that way, he thought. But the more he looked into it, and at what Mikey's Inner Conscience had said, he realized it _wouldn't_ have been any easier that way.

If memories could be stored as liquid in the Digiworld, who was to say it'd be possible in the Human World, too? And even if it was, would it be possible for humans to drink that kind of stuff? And that was where, Shoutmon realized, the trauma fit into this.

Alphamon had said that the Chosens' memories had been erased, but everyone else's had only been blocked. If a sudden trigger for a rush of memories could make the kids die, like say, seeing their Digimon partners, then wasn't that what drinking the liquid would do?

A sudden rush of memories that used to be there but weren't there in an otherwise empty gap in the brain…would lead to trauma…which would lead to death…then they'd be back in the situation they were in right now!

The final piece of the puzzle was in what Mikey's IC had said about the transfer. And Shoutmon being Mikey's partner. He didn't get it completely, but he got the gist of it.

Shoutmon was Mikey's partner. _Shoutmon_ was the key. _All_ the Digimon partners were the key to getting their human partners back. _They_ would have to deliver the transfer. A transfer of memories, of human memories inside of them, over to their partners, in a way of support against the trauma, just as a human-Digimon partnership went: one supporting the other.

But it wasn't enough. Apparently that wasn't enough. What was he missing?

 _"_ _You have always known the answer,"'_ his partner's IC had said. _'"You have always known the answer…"_

"I have always known the answer," Shoutmon repeated, barely audible. "Because the answer was always with me." And right then, he knew exactly what to do. Exactly what had been happening to him ever since he'd received Mikey's memories and felt what Mikey felt, only this time, their roles would be reversed.

 _"_ _Yes,"_ Shoutmon heard his partner's wispy voice for the last time. _"Now you know…"_ And he was gone.

Time came back again like before. If it was like last time, the same visit had happened to all the other Chosens' Digimon. But he couldn't focus on them now. He needed to focus on the task given to him. Mikey was depending on him.

The whole _Multiverse_ was depending on this to go right.

Shoutmon didn't really get how it would work. Wasn't like that mattered, though. He'd make it work.

Hesitantly, he reached out a quivering hand over to his partner's forehead, where he remained still. Mikey looked so…peaceful.

Shoutmon let his hand rest there. He closed his eyes. _Come on,_ he thought. _This has gotta work. Come on, come on!_

And Shoutmon let go.

Of the reality around him, of Hypnos, of the infirmary, of everyone. All he was focused on right now was Mikey, and Mikey only.

 _Shoutmon kept letting go._

He had a transfer to execute, and it wasn't just Mikey's memories that Mikey would be receiving. It would take more than that to make him remember, and that—he finally understood— _that_ was what the IC had been trying to say.

 _Shoutmon kept letting go._

He barely noticed the glowing light from behind his eyelids. He didn't know it was their red Fusion Loader glowing, answering the call, of the bond of human and Digimon once again.

 _Shoutmon kept letting go._

Even as on the edge of his consciousness, he heard the beeping of Mikey's monitor go off, as faster and high-pitched as ever, signaling that his human heart had stopped for good.

 _Shoutmon kept letting go._

* * *

When Mikey woke, the first thing he noticed was how weak he was, and he realized he was lying down on rough asphalt. The second thing he noticed was the strange thoughts that swirled through his mind. The funny thing was, the memories didn't seem familiar. They didn't seem like _his_. And yet they kept entering his mind, as he lay there, so tired.

 _Somehow, he felt his name was Shoutmon, even though it was Mikey._

 _Suddenly, he noticed a village. A small village. For some reason, he knew the name: The Village of Smiles. A lot of his friends lived there. But they weren't the friends he thought they were. Their names were strange, too. Not Angie, not Jeremy, or Christopher, or Nene…none of them. They were called…_

 _Ballistamon. Lillymon. Jijimon. Dondokomon. Starmon. Pickmons. Other dwellers. They looked strange._

We're Digimon, _some part of Mikey that wasn't him thought and knew. But he didn't know them. He didn't know any of them._

 _So why did these names ring a forgotten bell in him?_

 _Suddenly, he wasn't in that beautiful village anymore. A flash of pain seared through him, and then everything was gone._

Now Mikey was here, weak and deflated. He slowly opened his eyes. He recognized this place, and for some reason, felt it was incredibly significant, though he didn't know or understand why.

It was a dark alley in Odaiba, he believed. But what was he doing here on the asphalt like this? He looked at himself and did a double take.

He was so small. Small and red. Every part of him looked…inhuman. He felt like a hybrid of machine and lizard. A red mechanic lizard. He was a red mechanical lizard. In his hand he held a microphone nearly the size of his body.

Mikey knew the importance of this moment but still couldn't place it at the same time, and that frustrated him the most. Fortunately, the thoughts that weren't his came back, and sparked an odd feeling of clarity in him.

 _I remember this day like it was yesterday. It was when I met him and we saved each other's lives. This was the day I met my General and more importantly, partner._

 _Mikey Kudo._

* * *

 _The Digimon are finally close to getting their partners back! But it looks like they're not the only one with plans. Who is watching their every move, and what does their stalker mean by "other Chosen that his lord could use"? You'll just have to keep reading_ Digimon: The Worlds' Last Hope _to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. The Goggle-heads: I figured that since they're older, they ought to wear their goggles around their neck now instead of on their head. This goes for Davis, Takato, Takuya, and Tagiru. Same goggles they're wearing from the show, just a different place they're wearing them. I was half-inspired by the Tri. trailer and how Tai/Taichi looked. In my opinion, it kind of gives them a maturer look.

2\. Fusion Loader: For those who haven't watched Xros Wars/Fusion, in Season 2 of it, Mikey discovers that the Fusion Loader can also be used to show the lay of the land in a 3-D holographic fashion. Like, in a maze of tunnels, it gives a map of where each tunnel leads. I personally think that's cool. I mean, each Digivice had pretty sweet features.

3\. Sama: Something like lord, what an inferior calls his superior, to someone of very high authority. Not like a student calling his teacher 'sama', or a worker calling his boss. Like a henchmen calling his master.

~X~

 _So how was that? I'm hoping I explained everything alright, and that you now get why our heroes would die if they saw their partners. Maybe you'll have to reread it a few times. If you still don't get it, I'm hoping to come back to that and stress on it more in further chapters to come. Well, we got that huge gathering all crossovers have at some point, except that the Chosen have no idea why they're so important or how they're related to one another. Haha, but they're close! I'm quite curious to know what you think, or even, predict. Go ahead and drop a review with your thoughts on anything. I hope you liked it, and I'll see you again next time!_


	10. The Brink

**A/N:** _Well, this is embarrassing…I forgot to do Nene and Ewan's POV. But don't worry, they'll be done in Chapter 11. Sorry about that._

 _Now, since we're at Chapter 10, I think this would be a good time for credentials. But if I really put all of your names here, then this chapter would consist of 50% or more of my thankfulness. Literally. So, the least I can do is say…_

 _Thank you all. For reading, reviewing, favouriting, following, sending me PMs with tips, putting my fic in your community, whatever, just know I say thanks to you personally. I now reward you with Chapter 10, which I hope you enjoy. Not much action in this, because I really wanted to focus on the Digimon/human bond. So, let's just say I...'attempted' to make it emotional._

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters. Alright, then, I gotta thank Toei as well, for producing (is that the right word?) Digimon._

 _Now finally after my speech of gratitude, let's get on with the story!_

~X~

 **Chapter 10: The Brink**

 _This was the day I met my General and more importantly, partner._

 _Mikey Kudo._

Mikey gazed around, though there wasn't really any point, since he was in an alley. Some part of his mind corrected what he had just thought. _This isn't Odaiba,_ he realized. _It's Koto. This is…where I used to live._ Though how he could recognize Koto from Odaiba by being in an alley was beyond him.

He had moved to Odaiba three years ago. The rest of his friends had remained in Koto, except for Nene and Christopher, whose scenarios were different. Nene had moved from Hong Kong to Koto to live with her brother Ewan a year earlier, while Christopher had come all the way from America to Odaiba the same year Mikey had moved.

A chord of recognition resonated through him, but he still didn't know why. He had a feeling he was about to find out.

Mikey—or should he call himself Shoutmon, since that was who he apparently was?—muttered to himself weakly, "I'm gonna die…"

"Who are you?" a voice called out, and Mikey saw an image…of himself, the one who had spoken. Only he was younger. How much younger? He looked to be around twelve or thirteen. Five years ago? How could he not remember any of this?

"You…" Mikey/Shoutmon said feebly. "You can hear me?"

"Yeah, who are you?" young Mikey replied. "Where are you?"

"Why bother asking? I'm gonna die… And here I was aiming to become the king…"

"King…a monarch?"

Their conversation was cut short as young Mikey and his two friends (was that a younger Angie and Jeremy, too?) raced over elsewhere, their attention fixed on a car randomly jutting out from the second or third floor of a building. Mikey/Shoutmon watched them for a while, as they looked up, distracted as the blue sky went digital, until he sensed something amiss.

"Jump to the right!" he shouted.

Mikey breathed an inward sigh of relief as he watched his younger self shove himself and his friends out of the way just as the car came crashing down on the spot where they had just been standing. When had this happened? Why couldn't he remember it happening to begin with?

"Lucky break for you, huh?" he said softly to his youthful self; except…the words poured out of his mouth as if on instinct, like they were rehearsed.

He watched as young Mikey found him in the alley, as he walked up to him. "There you are." He scooped Mikey/Shoutmon up, and older Mikey couldn't help but feel the least bit weird feeling (and seeing) himself...pick up himself. But all he was at the moment was a dying static red lizard.

"Hey!" adolescent Mikey whispered, unbeknownst, to his older self. "Can you hear me? Hey!"

"You're the guy from earlier…" murmured Shoutmon/Mikey. It felt so bizarre talking like this, thought Mikey. "I've reached my limit… I can't hold on anymore…"

"Hey! Hey! Hang in there!"

"What's the matter, Mikey?" Angie walked up from behind with Jeremy right beside her.

"Listen to me, please!" Mikey's younger clone insisted, holding up Shoutmon/Mikey. "Whoever saved us from that car earlier was whoever is inside this light." His two companions reeled back.

"What the heck?!" Angie said.

"What are you talking about, Mikey Kudo?!" Jeremy added.

"It means that this someone is hurt," young Mikey answered, looking back at the red 'light'. "If I turn my back on him now, he'll die."

An image flashed into Mikey's (older) head, of himself even younger, as a small boy, crying on the sidewalk as it rained. The memory left a searing pain in his heart (if he had an actual heart), as he looked at his young self once more, struggling to remember when (or whether) this had happened.

"I…" young Mikey trembled. "I can't ignore him!"

"Mikey…" Angie whispered.

Jeremy continued to look at him uncertainly.

"Brings tears to my eyes, those words of yours," Mikey/Shoutmon said. "You damn soft-hearted bastard…"

"That goes for you, too," youthful Mikey replied. "You're close to dying and you still took the time to help us."

Shoutmon/Mikey lightly chuckled. "We're birds of a feather, huh?"

"…Yeah…"

Just then, a blinding light engulfed them all. Mikey felt himself becoming separated, separated from the body that he had just joined with, separated from Shoutmon, and suddenly he was himself again.

His eighteen-year-old self, next to a now-revived Shoutmon. Mikey still didn't know how the name had come up in his head. Beside them, younger Mikey and…was it safe to say younger and battered Shoutmon?…stood still, looking on into the light. Before them, a device appeared, devoid of colour at first, but then, slowly, turning a bright red.

"Mikey…" Shoutmon whispered and the older boy turned around to face his…partner. That word felt right in the situation. "Don't you remember this?"

Mikey looked back and forth between the young and the old. "I..."

Shoutmon sighed sadly. "I thought…I thought you'd remember after I showed you this…"

"Showed me…what is _this_ , exactly?"

"The day we met. I…you saved my life, after I saved yours. You could never turn your back on anyone...just like me."

"That's right," Mikey said. "But how did you…?"

"Know?" Shoutmon finished. "Because I _knew_ you, Mikey. I-I mean, I STILL know you! We had adventures together. Digimon! The Digiworld! You helped me save our worlds and helped me become the Digimon King! Don't you remember?"

Mikey stared at the red lizard for a long time. He didn't want to say no because he didn't want to hurt his feelings. Shoutmon got the message anyway. "I'll prove that I know you. I'll show you it, then," Shoutmon said gently.

"Show me what?" Mikey asked.

"That day," Shoutmon responded, a wild fire in his eyes. "That rainy day." Mikey blinked in astonishment. _That rainy day._

"I'll show you," Shoutmon declared. "Just like on that day, when you showed me." The scene dissolved.

They were on a balcony of some sort, and as Mikey watched, he noticed his younger self walk up, along with Jeremy and…who were the others? Shoutmon as well, juvenile, along with… _Ballistamon_ , Mikey remembered someone from the Village of Smiles…and someone else who resembled a knight.

"Knightmon," Shoutmon confirmed, standing beside Mikey. But the older boy paid no heed, staring off into the scene before him, his eyes glowing with a new light.

"…I don't feel any warmth from him as I do Mikey," Knightmon was saying.

"Him…" Mikey murmured.

"Christopher," Shoutmon supplied. "Back when he was a jerk."

 _Christopher was here,_ Mikey thought, a silent bell attempting to ring off in his head. _I met Christopher…where?_ Mikey tuned back to what his young clone was saying.

"Yeah… But it doesn't look like that's all there is to him. When I see him, I get the feeling…"

"Hey, hey!" Jeremy interrupted. "Don't tell me you're thinking of not turning your back on him too! Why do you always act like that?"

Mikey's head spun for a moment, and he knew his former self's was as well, as his mind went back.

"That day…" young Mikey mumbled. "Yeah, it was raining that day." Mikey didn't see them speaking anymore. His mind—and eyes, for that matter—had already gone back to that day…and he could still hear his young voice echoing through it all.

Shoutmon stood beside him, watching. They weren't on the balcony anymore. They were on a sidewalk, and the sky overhead was filled with angry clouds. But Mikey's attention was fixed on the little boy sitting down on the ground, head low, soccer ball beside him. He was also aware of an even younger version of himself walking up to the boy.

 _"I wasn't that close to the guy. I only knew him a little because he switched classes. I felt like I couldn't leave him."_

"But," little Mikey protested.

"Be quiet, I'm fine," the boy insisted gruffly. And Mikey walked away. _Come back,_ Mikey screamed to himself. _Help him out!_

After a while of walking, both Mikeys heard the sirens. As the ambulance passed him going the way he had just come from, little Mikey suddenly ran back. Mikey continued watching with a heavy heart.

By the time the tiny clone got back, a large group had already gathered, everyone sad. Tiny Mikey realized what had just happened, and what he hadn't done. The soccer ball was left alone, and he stood before it.

 _"Apparently he hit his head in a game, and it was deadlier than it looked."_

Little Mikey let loose his wail of sadness as the rain began to pour everywhere. Mikey watched him for a long time, before finally looking up, letting a raindrop fall on his eye. When he looked back, he and Shoutmon were back on the balcony with young Mikey.

"He didn't come back to school for half a year," the adolescent continued, eyes on the floor, focused. "Whenever I saw his desk, it made my heart hurt. That's what made me think."

Mikey's eyes shined as he watched himself. "If I think for even a second not to turn my back on a person, then I must never turn my back on them ever."

"Mikey Kudo…" Jeremy said.

"That's why my body is always moving before I even realize it," he explained. "In that moment, my heart goes back to that rainy day." The scene dissolved once more.

"Shoutmon…" Mikey said, but it was more that he was testing out how the name felt in his mouth. "Shoutmon… I—I was there…Christopher and Jeremy…Angie…"

"Nene and Ewan as well," Shoutmon sighed. "But there's more to it than that."

Mikey nodded, his thoughts suddenly going back to the morning, and all of the kids that had been present. "Where do Tagiru and the rest fit into this?"

The scene changed again. They were back in Koto, Mikey believed. On a bridge. The sky was dark. Except…everything around them was stone. Almost everything. There were a few kids on the bridge, and Mikey recognized them. One of them was himself, a little older than what he'd seen from before.

"…It's okay, Tagiru," young Mikey was saying. At the back of Mikey's mind, something went off, but he still couldn't put his finger on it. His younger self pulled his old goggles out and tossed them to Tagiru. "We've got the heroes," he declared determinedly.

"Mikey!" Tagiru gasped.

"Take them, Tagiru!" he ordered, flinging his headgear to his biggest fan. The boy caught them and stared at his idol in shock and disbelief. His superstar smiled faintly.

"A hero needs goggles."

Mikey looked at Shoutmon again. Had he really known this…creature? Wait, what had these creatures been called? …Digimon.

Had he really known this Digimon? Been friends with him? Partners, even? Had he shared a bond with him? Did he still share that bond now? Or had it been severed, like his most important memories had been severed from his mind?

"C'mon, Mikey," Shoutmon insisted. "Don't you remember any of…" He stopped when he saw his partner's face. He continued in a low voice. "You don't…nothing…" He squared his shoulders, looked Mikey directly in the eye, and took his hand. Mikey complied. Their world faded to a new place.

They were on a slight hill overlooking a river. He could see a bridge spanning the length of the river. For a moment, he wondered where he was, then realized he was still in Koto. For a moment Mikey lay in the grass, looking up at the night sky dotted with countless stars.

His heart began to stir as he continued looking at the place before him; it was much more significant than he'd taken it to be. What had happened here?

 _Baguramon,_ Shoutmon said, but Mikey didn't see the lizard's lips move. _Baguramon happened._

Baguramon…Mikey knew that name. He looked at Shoutmon again. A lone memory flared in his head out of nowhere.

 _"Shoutmon!"_

Mikey clutched his head as pain exploded in his skull and he clutched his head as the world tilted beneath him. Shoutmon noticed it.

"Mikey!" he yelled. "Hey, Mikey! Hang in there!" He grabbed the boy's shoulders in an attempt to steady him. They ended up on the grass, Shoutmon on top of Mikey, who was lying down on his back. "I'm here, Mikey!"

But Shoutmon's voice felt far away. The pain was starting to null…

Mikey wanted to let go. He wanted to get away from the nonsensical things in his life…it'd make things much easier, wouldn't it? But that voice just didn't go away…that annoying voice…

"Mikey…why…hurting…?...can't die here...it's…dream…YOU IDIOT, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING?" Something stung his cheek, and Mikey's eyes flashed open as he felt the sting Shoutmon's hit had left him. But he still felt himself drifting away...

...That annoying voice was still there...

"I need you! You need me! What happened to that, huh? C'mon, stay awake! Look at me! FOCUS. Look—at—me!"

Shoutmon was crying. Mikey stared dully at the tears blurred in his vision, and words started coming to his mind, and he felt it was a conversation he had once had.

 _"Without you… I… We… We'll all get killed!" Shoutmon cried miserably. He suddenly got up, fuming angrily. "You damn idiot!" He made for a huge punch, just missing Mikey and Angie, instead hitting a boulder, which got split in half._

 _"Shoutmon…" Mikey gasped._

 _"What was that for?" Angie scolded. "We're human! We're different from you guys, okay?! We're really weak! We're delicate!"_

 _"Shut up!" Shoutmon screamed hotly. And then he ran away. "Stupid Mikey!"_

 _"You're the one acting stupid!" Angie shot back to Shoutmon's receding figure. Then all was quiet as a slight breeze began to ruffle their hair._

 _"He…" Mikey started. Angie looked over at him as he continued ever so quietly._

 _"He was crying…"_

"Stupid…" Mikey heard Shoutmon whisper, or maybe he was yelling and Mikey's hearing was just failing. "Stupid Mikey…stay with me…"

"What's wrong with you?" Mikey asked tiredly. "I'm…I'm right here…"

But his eyes still fluttered as exhaustion took over. Shoutmon punched him hard in the arm. Mikey blinked, but his vision started to blur.

"hey," Shoutmon said distortedly. Was he still shouting? All of it was like a jumbled whisper. "comeonstayawakemikey…"

But Mikey could not, for the life of him, stay awake. He did not notice everything starting to wilt around him. As he let his eyes slide shut, a scream cut through his thoughts, as if glass had shattered.

"AAAGGGHHHHH!" Shoutmon's scream came crystal clear this time, and Mikey doubted anyone would ever miss a voice that loud. He cracked an eye open, pushing himself into a sitting position.

The red Digimon was glowing blindingly. As the radiance reached an apex, it transformed into a beam and shot directly at Mikey, who took it at full force. The blast sent him back on his back again, his eyes staring at the starry night sky.

But he didn't see the blackness.

Instead, images started to float around as the stars formed into constellations; but they weren't constellations that anyone knew of—as the stars were connected with strokes of light, Mikey saw familiar pictures: pictures of _him_ …Shoutmon…and others…old friends, for some reason he knew.

At that moment, Mikey realized that the scenes weren't just ironic constellations.

They were _memories_.

Like a storybook come to life, he watched it unfold before his very eyes: Five years ago, how he, along with Angie and Jeremy, had found Shoutmon dying in an alley.

How his red Fusion Loader had been given to him by the leader of the Legendary Digimon, Omnimon. How that had sparked the biggest adventure of a lifetime to the Digital World. How he'd traveled to the different Zones there in search of each Code Crown in the hopes of defeating Lord Bagura.

How he'd met Christopher. How he'd met Nene. How their alliances hadn't worked out in the beginning, which led to multiple disputes between all of them. How he'd gone back home with Jeremy, Angie, and Shoutmon, only to have to leave to the Digital World soon after, but without his two dear friends this time.

How he'd had to join forces with Christopher and Nene once more. How they'd gone from Land to Land, defeating each Darkness General. How they'd opened Ewan's eyes of the true enemy's side. How they'd defeated Baguramon in the Human World.

Fast forward a year later. How he'd met Tagiru. How he learned of the Digimon Hunt. How the final battle with Quartzmon came. How he'd passed on his goggles to Tagiru. How they'd won.

All of it came in a rush, along with a burst of emotions—Shoutmon's emotions. Like a dam had burst, they flooded Mikey's mind. Sadness at his partner's fatal amnesia, pain that he could lose his partner (though how Mikey didn't understand), anger at his own futile attempts to save him.

Mikey absorbed it all, and was quite surprised he hadn't fainted from the impact of it all. It was as if Shoutmon were inside of him, or he was inside of Shoutmon, which, technically, was what had happened just a while before.

Clarity sparked inside of him as he could finally connect the dots.

Mikey didn't know for how long (days, weeks, months?) had he had that empty feeling in him, as if he weren't complete with something…or some _one_. Or as he had thought before, like he was unknowingly turning his back on someone.

And now he knew why; now he remembered why. The answer was right beside him. Had already and always been right beside him.

"Shoutmon," he murmured, turning his head to face his Digimon partner. He reached out a hand to his partner's microphone and they held it together, silently looking up at the night sky. "I remember."

"Mikey," Shoutmon replied. Mikey caught the slightest of relieved smiles on his face. "Glad to see you're back."

A raindrop fell into Mikey's eye. The night was still blanketed with stars. It could have been the wind that had stung him.

Or maybe he had mistaken it for the slowly forming tears that now stung the corners of his eyes.

Mikey could have lain there forever, in the fellowship of his Digimon. The night air was cool, the grass was soft, and it wasn't too cold or too hot, nor too bright or too dark. He could have lain there forever, if Shoutmon would've stopped calling him.

"What is it now, Shoutmon?" Mikey sighed. Things felt a lot clearer now, and he didn't feel tired anymore.

"Hey, Mikey, I hate to break your relaxing time, but we gotta go back now!"

"Go back?" Mikey blinked. "Go back where?"

Shoutmon sputtered. "Back! Back to life, of course! You can't stay here forever! Our worlds are in danger again, remember?"

"…Danger…again? Do you mean Quartzmon? We defeated him already. I mean, Tagiru did. What do you mean? The Digimon Hunt still continues, but those Digimon aren't really that bothersome to all of us. Our worlds are at peace."

Shoutmon gawked at his partner a moment longer before finding his voice again. "Well—I—you mean you don't—well at least wake up!"

Mikey glanced at him. "Wake up?"

"Yes! Then we can join with Tagiru and the others again! And…and other people too!"

"But…" Mikey's gaze shifted back up to the stars. "Why now?"

"…"

"Why now?" Mikey repeated. "Everything's finally over; we need a break. C'mon, let's relax for once."

"But…" Shoutmon shook as he fought against more tears. "There's no time to relax…d-d-don't you see?"

"See what?" Mikey said exasperatedly. Without a word, Shoutmon grabbed Mikey's left hand, forcing his forefinger and middle finger onto his right wrist. He wanted to stop his Digimon. Instead, he stopped himself cold.

 _No...that can't be._

There was no heartbeat.

* * *

 **WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 2006**

 **-Hypnos Headquarters-**

 **35th Floor – Infirmary, 00:01**

Shibumi felt a fear he hadn't known well up inside. He couldn't believe how much time had passed—from this morning all the way to the next day at midnight now. It wasn't like he'd find sleep, anyway, though. His thoughts kept going back to the kids. Only…

They weren't his kids. Heck, he didn't even know what having a kid was like, let alone more than one of them. And still he cared for these, because he _knew_ them. Watched them, admired them for how young they were, and their efforts to save their home, his home, Shinjuku.

The first time Shibumi had met with them…well, he hadn't even met all of them at the time, but that wasn't the point; when he had first met them, it hadn't even been in the flesh. They'd met in the Digital World, but with him contacting them mentally, as if his soul had only gone there. He'd been in hospital, just as the Tamers and other children were now, except not for as serious a case as they were in now.

It was a strange feeling, back when that moment had happened—Shibumi had contacted Takato and Henry, actually saw them, very much alive, somehow in the Digiworld. He'd talked to them, and they'd talked to him, and he'd seen their Digimon, something he'd thought had only existed in a small computer program. The moment had been extraordinary.

And now they were dying. Or already dead.

Shibumi had no idea what strings Yamaki and Sampson had pulled to convince the children's parents _not_ to arrive here yet. The phone calls had started a few minutes after school/university would have ended, probably meaning that the parents had called the schools and universities first, only to be told their kids had been taken here. No doubt they were probably in a ruckus, especially the parents who were not acquainted with Yamaki or Sampson whatsoever.

"Hey, Yamaki," Shibumi called as he watched the blond walk into the infirmary, clicking his lighter agitatedly. "Things alright on the parental side?"

The man groaned outwardly. "I wish. They're extremely riled up now and I won't blame them."

"So I'm guessing that means you haven't told them anything…?" Babel guessed.

Yamaki nodded his agreement. "Yes. We haven't exactly broken it to them that their children are currently in hospital."

"Why not?" Tao countered, and Shibumi detected a slight tremble of anger or sadness in his voice. He didn't blame him; two of his children were dying or for all he knew dead at the moment, before his very eyes. "Mayumi has to know about Henry and Suzie! And Rinchei and Jaarin too…they have to know about their own younger siblings!"

Everyone glanced pitifully at him. Sampson, who was sitting a little ways away with his own little group (which basically composed of himself and Yushima), must have been listening, for he answered.

"It would be too great a risk to bring the parents in. As it seems to be, the whole world has forgotten about Digimon. It would be even more chaos letting so many adults in about it at once. As for the children's partners being there right beside them…"

Yushima completed the thought. "It doesn't look as though we can simply pull them out of their trance-like state." Shibumi marveled at how well the two worked together despite only meeting each other yesterday morning.

"Well, we're not even sure what the Digimon are _doing_ ," Daisy pointed out. "What _are_ they doing?"

"They seemed to have formed a very special bond," Alphamon explained, and there was a slight amazement in his voice. Shibumi had forgotten he had been standing there in a corner for the whole time.

That was a long time.

"I can feel the energy coming off of them," the Royal Knight continued. "It has created some kind of special bond between human and Digimon. This power flowing is greater than what I've ever felt in normal Digimon-human bonds, and I don't believe that this has ever happened before. And yes, it would be incredibly dangerous to pull them out. That would most likely result in…deadly consequences."

"Is there anything _we_ can do though?" Dolphin asked in a low voice.

"It appears to be that the Digimon are doing more than any mere person could," Alphamon reassured. "The most we can do is to leave it to them."

"But the kids aren't breathing," Tally argued. "And…that's what's worrying me the most. We've given them gas masks to pump air through, and we still are, but their hearts still aren't beating."

"They're already lost beyond the reaches of human methods now. It is all in the hands of their Digimon partners."

"But it's been fifteen hours!" Yamaki stormed suddenly, shocking everyone. " _Fifteen_ hours! At four to six minutes without a pumping heart, brain cells begin to die! How could the Digimon reach out to their partners if their partners don't even have a functional _body_ to come back to?!"

He stopped then, as if realizing what he had just said, and the negative vibe that it rubbed off on the others. He raked a harsh hand through his hair in stress.

"I'm sorry about that..." the blond apologized. Shibumi sympathized to Yamaki's reaction. He couldn't blame him for venting out his anger on them for what he believed to be the truth: that the kids wouldn't be coming back, probably because they wouldn't be _able_ to come back.

That they were dead.

And Shibumi also knew that Yamaki (and Sampson) just didn't have the heart to admit it to all the kids' parents. So Yamaki had stated it here.

Just then, Riley spoke up. "Hey, guys? ...I think there's something you should all see." She flipped the main computer monitor which showed the conditions of all the children in hospital at the moment. Everyone's eyes fixated on the screen.

And what it showed was...Shibumi couldn't form words in his head.

The huge monitor showed everyone's heart rate and body temperature. Their heart rates went in a straight line to show they weren't beating, but the body temperature...

All their body temps were at 30 degrees Celsius.

 _That shouldn't be possible,_ Shibumi thought in disbelief. _Below 32 is..._

Hypothermia.

And in extreme cases...people had been able to survive longer even though their hearts had stopped but so long as their bodies had been _cold_. As in hypothermia cold.

"When did their temps all drop that low?" Babel said in a whisper, as if talking normally would break their last line of faith they were holding on to.

"It might have been when their partner Digimon connected with them," Alphamon reasoned.

"Then..." Daisy said softly, smiling. "They're not done fighting yet, are they?"

"That's right~!" Calumon came swooping up to them, landing in Tally's arms. He wasn't smiling, but he had a look of grim determination on his face. "And we can't give up on them! They're tough, remember? They saved the world! They saved me!"

"Calumon's right," Tally claimed with renewed vigour. "We can't lose hope now! These kids are way stronger than we could ever be! We can't give up on them now!"

"You only agree with Calumon because you think he's cute," Riley retorted.

"Well, he is," Tally returned. "He's adorable, even after four years. But he's right as well."

"They'll pull through," Shibumi added determinedly, a sudden rush of confidence entering him. Who knew how well a computer screen could make his day? "They always do. And we'll be there for them when they come back."

"And by that you mean…" Dolphin said.

"…that we keep the gas masks on them," Yamaki and Sampson completed, and Shibumi knew their eyes were probably burning behind their shades, "for when they _will_ start breathing again. If it's our only way of support to them, then we'll go with it."

"That's really the only thing we can hope for," Riley sighed. "It's our only bright side."

"Not hope," Calumon argued, jumping off of Tally's lap and marching up and down the hospital aisles lined with beds. "It _will_ happen! I know it will!"

"On the other hand," Tally beamed. "Calumon's a pretty bright side too, don't you think?"

* * *

"Then let's go back now, Tai."

Agumon's words resonated through Tai's skull for a long time, as they sat on the digital shore of beach that he finally remembered so well. The stars twinkled overhead in the beautiful night sky, and were reflected in the calm waters in front of them.

"Go back?" Tai echoed quietly, watching the gentle lap of the calm waves.

"Let's go back," Agumon repeated, as if that would make things more sense to his partner. "Back to life, Tai. We're in a dream right now."

"How can this be a dream?" Tai wondered. "It can't be—everything's as I remembered it. So peaceful. We defeated Apocalymon with our friends. Then Diaboromon. Three years later, I passed on my goggles for Davis and his team. And…they saved us from Cherubimon. They took down MaloMyotismon. And finally…we destroyed Armageddemon, all of us together. Our world…your world…they're at peace now."

"Is that really all you remember, Tai?" Agumon said softly.

"What do you mean, Agumon?" Tai felt a sense of confusion and a little foreboding. "What more to it could there be? You—You're the one who helped me remember the Digital World again."

Tai wanted to understand—understand everything, because at the moment, he had thought his life had finally been pieced back together. Agumon seemed to be saying that it was not.

"The Digiworld, in peace?!" Agumon gasped. "It's _not_ in peace, Tai! We were there…" His voice grew quieter as he struggled to keep his voice steady. "…We were there, all of us…we almost died, Tai…and now, it looks like you're already…" He didn't finish his sentence.

"We went to the Digiworld?" Tai reiterated, shocked. "When? I…" He clutched his bushy hair, his mind spinning and pulsing with a sudden headache. "How? You—all the Digimon—they went back to the Digital World when the gates closed! That was four years ago! How are you even here? Did the gates open again?"

Agumon nearly recoiled, hurt evident on his face, tears brimming his eyes. "…Tai…you…really don't remember…"

"There it is again!" The boy felt frustrated. "You keep saying that! 'You really don't remember.' I'm sorry that I _don't_. But Agumon…" His voice cracked slightly. "…I _want_ to. So please…tell me."

A wave of pain hit his mind again, making him groan, and he rubbed his temples and waited for it to subside.

Agumon made a noise that sounded like a whimper. "But it hurts, doesn't it? It hurts every time you try and think of it. That's why I'm scared to tell you. I—I don't want you to die!"

"What do you mean, die? Didn't you just remind me of our adventures in the Digital World? Nothing happened! Except…" Tai recalled the sense of drifting off and feeling Agumon's emotions bring him back. He didn't voice any of it aloud. "I just forgot, Agumon."

"F-Forget?" Agumon sputtered, suddenly angry, as the tears started to fall slowly. "But…you _promised_ , Tai! You promised you wouldn't forget! How could you forget your own promise?!"

Tai stared at his partner for a long time. Were those tears real? Was that sadness real? Why would Agumon be sad, though? There was nothing to worry about…

Was there?

He searched his head, trying to find the answers, but once again pulled another blank.

He remembered though! He remembered the adventures he'd had with Agumon since he was eleven! So then what was Agumon trying to tell him? But every time he thought near that subject, his head began to throb. And yet his heart hurt more at his partner's biting words.

 _"You promised you wouldn't forget! How could you forget your own promise?!"_

"Promise," Tai muttered, lying on his back on the sand. "I promised…" Beside him, his partner kept saying, "C'mon, Tai, you've gotta remember…" over and over again it seemed.

Tai soon tuned him out. He looked at the stars, wishing one of them would give him a direct answer, because it looked like Agumon was scared to. Why was he scared?

 ** _"He is right to be scared, boy."_**

Tai opened his eyes. He hadn't realized they had been closed. Somehow he knew no one was around them. He had obviously only heard it, or felt it more like, since Agumon hadn't reacted to the voice.

Who had spoken then? He hadn't imagined it, and it had felt chillingly familiar.

 ** _"Yes, Tai."_** A light chuckle followed those words. ** _"You do not remember me, but we've been acquainted, in times old and 'forgotten', but as you humans say, the past does not matter. Only the present, and how it will shape the future ahead of us."_**

For some reason, the boy wanted the voice to go away. He wasn't in the mood to talk to some telepathic speaker. And there was something else…something deep inside him that said that the 'Voice' was not on their side. Whatever their side may be.

Suddenly, Tai felt himself go aloof again, and for a moment thought he was falling into the void and never coming back, like what Agumon had feared.

But instead of seeing darkness, he saw light. The picture was blurred, but he could still tell it was bright. And…beeping?...and voices—not like the voice he'd just heard. Different voices. They sounded human. But it wasn't like he knew these voices either. He caught bits and pieces of their words.

"…the…breath…?"

"No…ot beati…eep air…ming…"

"…een…ove…venteen hou…last brea…can…no…e…dead…"

Tai found it ironic that 'dead' was the only word he heard fully.

"…mon…liv…ids…ple…" Tai heard the pumping of air, felt it go through his mouth, but he still felt nothing at the same time. As if his lungs and organs were detached from the rest of his body. Or _soul_.

He couldn't be…

Tai noticed a yellow hand on his chest and with a start, realized it was Agumon's claw. What had his Digimon said?

 _"Back to life, Tai."_

Then what did that make him? …Dead?

The talking suddenly became a lot clearer.

"C'mon, kids, breathe. You've gotta live!"

"Keep talking, we have to keep talking!"

"Why?"

"Anything we say, any of our voices that they hear, can be used as a lifeline for them. We have to keep talking!"

"Let's go, you guys~!" A new voice entered the crowd. It was higher-pitched than the rest. "You can do it! Your Digimon are gonna get you back and we'll be here to cheer you on!"

A different kind of beeping made the guy stop. A chorus of shouts came as voices started to speak, one on top of another.

"One of them…their heart's beating! It's faint but…"

"Still there…"

Indeed Tai suddenly felt himself breathing again. It was weak, but something told him it would strengthen. He wanted to stay there— _"Come back to life"_ —as Agumon had put it, but he stopped himself, just as he was about to.

He wasn't done yet. He had left something behind back at the beach—something he'd forgotten. Yes, he had. He'd left behind his partner, left behind his promise, whatever it was, but it must have been meaningful enough for Agumon to bring it up.

Tai could have come back to what people would call realism. Stayed and let his breathing go back to normal.

But life wouldn't be the same, and he knew it. He'd come back half-full and half-empty, left with answers yet still more questions. He'd have part of the puzzle finished, but never see the big picture.

Tai could have stayed, but he wouldn't. He _couldn't_ do that, because he couldn't allow himself to go back to life without a care of what was happening around him, because, as Agumon had hinted, things _weren't_ right.

He was a DigiDestined, and that was not how a DigiDestined rolled. There was never an easy way even though a shortcut had presented itself to him. Or rather, _someone_ had presented this shortcut to him in the hopes he would take it. He would not.

He thought he could hear the Voice's growl of frustration as he rejected its offer. He also thought he could hear the cries of anguish of the other unknown human voices as he let himself go under again.

Tai blinked his eyes open. The 'fake' night sky sparkled over him. He felt Agumon shaking him violently. "Agumon, get a grip, I'm here!"

The Digimon stopped abruptly, looking at him with worry and anguish. "Y-You're back to normal. I thought…I thought I'd lost you. You were fading away, and I knew I shouldn't have told you anything, and—"

"I was fading away?"

"Yeah, and—"

"It's okay, Agumon. I'm back now. I was just…visiting another place for awhile, that's all."

They sat in silence, looking at the water again. Tai decided to go for it. "Hey, Agumon…you were telling the truth earlier, weren't you? That things aren't over yet; that we were in the Digiworld recently?"

The dinosaur was hesitant before he answered gently, "Why would I ever lie to you, Tai?"

The teen sighed. "I'm sorry, buddy. I'm just…feeling really confused right now. I can't remember us going to the Digital World so recently."

Agumon leaned in and rested a claw on his partner's shoulder. "But that's what partners are for: to make sure you remember." Something wet splashed on Tai pants. He realized they were tears. But he wasn't crying. No, Agumon was. The boy shut his eyes, trying to recall something, anything, of a former life. A recent life.

 _"…_ never _forget my partner… That's a promise, Agumon." Agumon watched Tai proudly, at his squared shoulders, level gaze, confident voice. Hearing his voice made him feel much more confident, and he believed him, believed every word that left his mouth. Agumon knew he wouldn't forget; he would never forget._

Tai wheezed, wiping the sweat off his forehead. He quickly shut his eyes though, because he couldn't let go of the image, not yet, not when he was so close—

 _Agumon felt a sudden weariness overtake him as his eyes became slits. His partner's last words continued to reverberate through his head as he watched Tai and the rest get engulfed in a bright light._

Tai…Keep your promise… _Agumon finally surrendered and fell unconscious._

 _It felt like forever that Agumon had been confined in the cage. Looking around him at all the other Digimon captivated with him, he was bound to be depressed. But he wasn't; somehow, he kept his spirits high. No, it wasn't him._ Tai _was the one who held on to him, and Agumon never lost hope that he'd come back for him, one day. And that he was somewhere safe in the Real World, and that he'd never forget about his partner…_

Tai gasped again, his eyes shooting open. His sudden tears made the dream world around him grow fuzzy, and he lay there for a moment, shaking as he clutched Agumon's claw. When his emotions subsided, he finally spoke, but his voice still quivered.

"Agumon…I-I'm so sorry…I couldn't keep my promise…"

Two green eyes lit up in the moonlight. "Well…now you did."

The bushy-haired boy shook his head. "But in the end, you were the one who came to me…you were the one that held on to me and never let go. I…I let you down. Your world's in danger…"

"No, Tai," Agumon whispered, hand (or claw) still on his shoulder. " _Our_ worlds are in danger."

Tai nodded grimly. "We'll save them. Both our worlds. Our enemy…" He closed his eyes at the slight memory. "I may not remember everything about our enemy…but it's enough. Our worlds are in danger and it's our job to protect them."

"I'll be with you the whole way, Tai."

"'Bout time you snapped out of it." The two whirled around to see familiar figures emerging from the trees and underbrush.

"Matt?" Tai called out in disbelief as him and the others, along with their Digimon partners, came walking out. "How are you…?"

"Y'know what?" the blond replied. "I have no idea."

"We're still in a dream," Gatomon supplied beside Tai's younger sister Kari. "But it seems to be that after one of them remembered, another somehow found their way to them. And then the two of them found another one who remembered. And you get the point now, it kept going on and on…"

"Are you saying I was the last to remember?" Tai checked, groaning as he looked at the twenty-three of them (humans and Digimon, including his own partner).

"Hey," Davis pointed out. "At least you _ended up_ remembering."

"Yes, I'm glad you're back, brother," Kari smiled.

"Since we're all here now, let's go back, then," Tai said, repeating his partner's former words and quickly taking charge.

"Back…" Sora murmured. "Except…"

"According to the Digimon, in real life, we're considered as deceased," Joe asserted bluntly.

"Is that a fancy word that doctors use for the dead?" Patamon wondered.

"Patamon," TK admonished half-heartedly.

"But if what our Digimon are saying is right," Mimi began, "then in real life...we're not alive anymore. We…we're not breathing."

"That doesn't mean we're dead," Cody said, almost inaudibly.

"What?" Yolei prodded.

"That doesn't mean we're dead," Cody said, voice stronger now. "Our heart might not be beating, our lungs may not be pumping…but we're still here, on a brink of some sorts, between life and death. We can still choose whether to go back to the living or move on with the dead. In true death, we have no choice. It comes when it comes, and must be accepted, by the one dying…and his loved ones around him."

"I agree with Cody," Ken concurred. "We're not dead yet, because we're still here and still given a choice…so I'll do all I can to find a way back to life."

The two trailed off suddenly, lost in thought, and Tai realized they were probably thinking of their father and brother respectively, whom they had already lost to death's inevitable pull.

Davis balled his hand into a fist. "Alright then! Let's blow this pop stand!"

Tai held up a fist of his own. "You got that ri—wait, what?"

"A Western expression," Izzy provided. "Something like 'let's leave this boring place as soon as possible'. Did you learn that from Willis or Michael?"

"I would hardly call being on the brink of life and death as 'boring'," Tentomon grumbled.

"Oh," Tai said, ignoring the fact that Izzy's question had not been answered. "Okay then, I'm with you!"

"It really doesn't take much to get your brother up again," Matt muttered to Kari, who stifled a giggle.

"Actually," Izzy said urgently. "There's something that you should all kn—"

"Izzy," Tai interrupted. "…will your info affect us…waking up again?"

"…No."

"Then tell us once we wake up."

"Yeah," Matt added. "At the moment, I really want to get the hell outta this place. Nothing against the Digital World and all, I just find it creepy that right now we can choose whether to live or die. Personally, I want to live. Now let's go."

"Go…how, exactly?" Yolei asked.

"I went back," Tai said. "For a few seconds, but I still went back. I just…lay down and closed my eyes and sort of let go of everything." He went on his back again, his eyes to the stars.

He probably looked awkward, and it was hard to imagine that the worlds depended on him lying down on a beach.

The others complied, including the Digimon.

"Huh," Tai spoke softly, suddenly feeling tired. "See you…on…the other side…" He realized that he'd met the others (for real) just this morning. Had it really been this morning? It didn't matter. He had already let himself go.

Once again, Tai saw the blurring lights and heard the indistinct voices and consistent beeping. He felt air flowing through his mouth and nose and tried taking slow, steady breaths, no matter how weak they were at the moment.

He zoned in and out, his senses sometimes working and sometimes not. Nevertheless, he still felt Agumon's claw rested on his shoulder, maybe even his voice (he wasn't sure), reassuring him. So Tai wouldn't let go of life, of reality.

He couldn't let go, because Agumon was still there, holding on to him.

* * *

 **-Hypnos Headquarters-**

 **35th Floor – Infirmary, 4:07**

Biyomon blinked open his eyes and for a moment forgot where he was. Then he felt himself going up and down and focused more. He realized he was lying on top of Kristy and that he wasn't actually moving—it was the slow but gradual rise and fall of his partner's chest.

She was breathing! She was really breathing!

Biyomon didn't know what to think anymore—sure, he'd seen his partner in…some kind of dream, and he'd felt a great deal of warmth once she finally remembered him, but this, seeing her actually breathing, topped it all off.

They were different from the rest. Kristy didn't have a Digivice like the others did. Somehow, back in that room though, they'd seen each other. Somehow, they'd been connected.

He'd seen the arrows pointing to the Digimon and their human partner that had come out from their Digivices. That had not been the case for him and Kristy. Instead, a beam of light had appeared on his heart and shot straight toward the girl.

Then…everyone knew what had happened next. The same thing that had happened to all the Chosen.

Biyomon slowly looked around as the others, human and Digimon, began to wake up. He suddenly wondered how Impmon had pulled it off, with two partners at that. He saw the other adults rushing, watching as a miracle happened before their eyes. Even Alphamon, in a corner, looked on with a mixture of relief and awe.

Slowly, slowly, everyone awoke. They were disoriented at first, maybe even tense, but upon seeing their partners they instantly relaxed.

Biyomon was overjoyed when his partner opened her eyes, but she seemed too confused to speak at the moment.

"What time is it?" somebody asked.

"4:08," Sampson answered.

"If it's 4:08, Sampson, then why's the sky so dark?" a brunet challenged.

"AM," the man fired back calmly.

"4:08 AM?" a blond said incredulously. "So then how long have we—?"

"I'd say about nineteen hours, max?" Yushima interrupted.

"You went into the next day," Shibumi included. "We're in the early morning of Wednesday. You…let's just say…passed out…yesterday morning. You've been out for almost a full day."

"What about our parents?" someone called.

"That's a whole other complicated matter," Yamaki sighed, massaging his forehead. "They'll probably want to hear your voices on the phone or something."

"Oh no," a brunette said concernedly, glancing over at an older wild-haired boy. They looked to be siblings. "Mom's probably freaked right now."

"It's okay. We'll take care of it later," the older teen responded. He turned to the grown-ups. "You don't seem surprised by all the Digimon in this room."

"No. We're not," Shibumi said simply.

"They're an organization that deals with Digimon," two people said at once.

"It's called Hypnos," one said at the same time the other said, "It's called DATS."

"O-kayyy…" the bushy-haired boy said, nodding slightly. "It looks like all of us have... _some_ kind of Digimon. Some…quite different from others." He cast a look at the Spirits quizzically, who were somehow out of their Digivices, standing creepily half-see-through in the room.

"Somebody'd better explain this all well," a person mumbled.

"Yes, we will get to that soon," Alphamon said in a low voice that stunned them all. Rarely speaking, most forgot he was in the room. Some hadn't known he was in the room at all.

"Hang on," a blue-haired bespectacled boy broke in. He threw a look at a few others, probably friends. "If we're on the same boat here, then our worlds are in danger. We should call Gennai to help us."

Biyomon's heart froze at the familiar name. The name that belonged to their rescuer he'd barely knew. Kristy, who had no idea who that was, finally voiced her puzzlement. "Who's Gennai?" she whispered. He just shook his head, not wanting to answer.

"I agree with Joe," an orange-haired girl approved. "He should be able to help us in some way."

"Gennai can't help us," Alphamon and Tentomon said in unison. "I'm sorry," Alphamon added.

"Why not?" a goggled spiky-haired boy challenged. He glanced at a redhead and his face paled. "I-Izzy…?"

"No…" the bushy-haired brunet said, while his sister looked just as horrified. "Y-You can't mean…"

"That's what I wanted to tell you before," the boy named Izzy said, his voice laced with sorrow. "Gennai…he…he's dead."

* * *

 _Wow, things must be really confusing for the Chosen now. They've just gotten their memories back, and seemed to have found new allies in the process! What does Alphamon mean by special bonds, and why has it never happened to any other partners before? How and why was Tai contacted by the Voice? What will the Chosen do now that they've met one another? How will they react to what's been going on in the Digital World since their absence? You'll just have to keep reading_ Digimon: The Worlds' Last Hope _to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. I'm sorry if my writing is confusing at times. My story's kind of a mix of both English and Japanese dubs: I'm obviously using the English dub human, Digimon, and Digivolution sequence names. However, I think the Japanese dialogue was done much better (and gives more meaning) in most aspects, which is why I'm going with that (written in English, of course) when I'm referencing to the show(s).

2\. I purposely wrote one of Shoutmon's lines all in lowercase to show Mikey's hearing distortion at that moment.

3\. 32 degrees Celsius = 90 degrees Fahrenheit

4\. Digimon Movies: Yes, all the Digimon movies are canon in this and may be referenced from time to time (except maybe X-Evolution, which I'm not sure of, since there were no humans in it).

~X~

 _Well, there you have it, folks! I hope you liked the way this came out. Thus, I believe the first arc of this has now come to a close. The Chosen have gotten their memories back (or most of their memories, anyway)._

 _From the next arc onward is where we'll be getting to the interactions with everybody. And, don't worry, the mysteries that have been presented in previous chapters will slowly start to get solved._

 _Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this first arc in The Worlds' Last Hope, and it'd mean a lot to me if you gave a review; I want to know what you think! 'Til then, I'll see you next time!_


	11. Blood on the Horizon

**A/N:** _November 21, 2015, Japanese Time (though it's still the 20th in Canada)! Digimon Adventure Tri., here we are at last! On a side note, I would like to add that I'm not sure if I'll be integrating Tri. into this. Maybe, maybe not, we'll see as we progress, considering this fic would technically take place a year after Tri._

 _I also revised Chapters 1-10, in terms of formatting and fixing tiny plot mistakes. It's all good now! (I hope…)_

 _But I should stop rambling. You're all here to read Chapter 11, so…_

 _Here we are in the second arc. Hope you enjoy!_

 **Disclaimer:** _I do not own Digimon or its characters; only this plot, and…yeah. Let's just get on with the story._

 _P.S. Those of you who were Guests and left a review in Chapter 10, I replied to it via my profile in the 'Q &A Corner' section (since I can't directly PM you)._

~X~

 **Chapter 11: Blood on the Horizon**

 **-Hypnos Headquarters-**

 **35th Floor – Infirmary, 4:10**

There was an instant uproar in response to the redhead's statement. Izzy, Nene believed the boy's name was.

She, on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. It seemed that most of the kids (and adults) in the room hadn't understood what had just been said, either, for most of them had reacted with looks of confusion.

The Digimon, however, withered at the sentence said.

Nene's attention shifted elsewhere. She scanned the room, searching for—

There he was!

Just a few beds over, her younger brother Ewan looked to be okay, which was a relief for her. She'd been surprised enough when he'd showed up at this facility at the same time she had, along with a bunch of other people; now he was in a hospital bed along with her as well.

When the relief began to fade away, she started to tune back into the current heated conversation.

"What do you mean he's dead?" a blond fumed, but his voice sounded thicker with grief than with fury. "How could you even know? You forgot about the Digital World just like the rest of us!"

For some reason Nene suddenly recognized him. His name was Matt…Sora's boyfriend…but Sora had never described him before.

How did Nene know it was him? Were they in a class together and she hadn't noticed?

"Tentomon told me," Izzy replied, tone shockingly steady. He was hiding his sadness well. "He saw it happen. He gave me a hard drive that Gennai had told him to give to me."

"I didn't see it happen," the insect Digimon interrupted. "…It was more like—like I _felt_ it. Gennai…he was like a part of the Digital World, protecting it, making sure everything was in balance. When we—" Nene assumed 'we' meant 'all the Digimon'. "—all left through the Portal, I felt something in me…break apart, like some wall in the Digital World was breached."

"How could you feel it?" someone asked—one of the adults.

"Digimon are data," a tall black knight replied. Nene hadn't even noticed him standing there. "Gennai, you could say, was neither human nor Digimon, but a digital entity whose job was as a guide and to defend the Digiworld. So during Gennai's…downfall…to a Digimon it's as if a barrier in their home is going down."

For a second, no one answered.

Maybe everyone was in shock.

Maybe they were taking a moment of silence in tribute for someone who had evidently fallen for the sake of them.

Then one boy said, "Well…" He looked conflicted in what to say. "It's…four in the morning. There's plenty of time to talk about all this; but first, I think we should speak with our parents to tell them we're okay."

Everyone agreed to that.

"The only problem with that," said the blond grown-up who seemed to be the head, "is that I think your parents would want you back home as soon as they've heard from you."

"That's easy," a guy said confidently. "We just tell our parents it's a Digimon issue and they'll—"

"But my parents don't know about Digimon!" a group protested.

"They don't?" cried an obvious majority.

"Aside from that," an elderly man boomed, silencing them all. "Your parents wouldn't have remembered anything about Digimon, regardless!"

"Like you, they've forgotten as well!" a redheaded woman added.

It seemed to take awhile for everyone to process the new bit of info they'd just been fed.

"But…can't we just remind them again?" someone said softly.

"It's not a question of whether or not you can remind them or not." Everyone's head jerked toward the lone knight.

"That's Alphamon," Nene's partner Sparrowmon whispered into her ear. She'd somehow climbed onto the bed despite her slightly wide wingspan, but Nene let her stay there. "He was one of the guys that came and rescued us."

 _Rescued you from where?_ Nene wanted to say, but Alphamon was already talking.

"…only reason being because at the moment, it would not be wise to let anyone else know about Digimon except everyone in here. With things in enough turmoil already, we wouldn't want the rest of the…human race in a panic."

"I'm not sure if our parents exactly count as the entire human race," Ren muttered at the same time Izzy said, "What about the other DigiDestined, or Chosen, around the world?"

"It seems that the whole world has forgotten," Alphamon confirmed. "The only difference being that they weren't, and aren't, in as dire a situation as you were."

"Meaning they weren't just about to die," an older brunet stated flatly. Nene recognized him; but from where? She had a feeling she'd seen his face in the university, but hadn't been in any of her classes. But she still knew him.

 _"_ _I'm the invincible street fighter, Marcus Damon!" he introduced that day._

And then she remembered. It shocked her so much, but it made sense. She wanted to voice her thoughts out loud to her fellow Fusion Fighters and Hunters, but she knew that wouldn't be the best decision.

Better to wait when things had settled at least a bit.

It was four in the morning now, after all.

"Wait," a different blond said. "We were out for nineteen hours, you said?"

"Yeah, Thomas," Marcus sniffed. "One-nine, not nine-zero."

The boy named Thomas ignored Marcus's remark. "According to our Digimon—"

"—we were dead," the blue-haired teen named Joe completed. "Our hearts had stopped. But for—"

"—nineteen hours?" Thomas took over again. "That…I have no intention to put it grimly, but that shouldn't be possible."

"I agree," Joe concurred. "By this much time, all of our brain cells…should have died."

"That's what we thought too, until we noticed something," Yamaki said. "Or, Riley noticed it first."

Alphamon took up the mantle. "It seems that when your Digimon first connected with you, your core body temperatures dropped. It was as if all your organs had shut down for a time from how cold your body was getting."

"Thirty degrees Celsius," a blonde short-haired woman verified.

"That's extreme hypothermia," Joe and Thomas said in unison.

"We got doctors in the house," somebody muttered.

"When are Digimon first connected with us…?" one of the youngest kids trailed off.

~X~

Pretty soon, everyone was getting into conversations of their own, probably about all the confusing info they'd been dumped within the past moment.

A few beds over, Davis noticed a group of people (Kazu among them; they were probably his friends) smiling at the sight of a Leomon. Davis suddenly remembered Tai and the others talking about their friend Leomon whom they'd lost during the battle with the Dark Masters, back in their very first adventure.

But this Leomon was different. He seemed to be a partner of someone; was he the partner of that brunette who was beaming the most at the sight of the biped lion?

Of course she'd be smiling so widely. Davis himself was so happy that he now remembered Veemon and all the awesome times they'd had together; before that, life had seemed empty, and there were certain things that didn't make any sense. And now they did.

He looked back at his Digimon for good measure.

"Hey, Veemon," Davis suddenly said, noticing something for the first time. "What's that?" He pointed to the golden trinket around his partner's neck.

"Oh yeah!" The blue dinosaur seemed to have forgotten it had been there. He quickly pulled it off and put it around Davis's neck. "It's your Cresht of Miraclesh!"

For a second Davis thought he had heard wrong. "Crest of…me? I have a Crest? O-Of…Miracles?" After talking to his partner in their dreamlike state, he hadn't noticed Veemon wearing any sort of necklace. Or _Crest_.

But it was really true. He was the Bearer of a Crest!

He suddenly looked around, realizing his friends were receiving similar things as well.

"Did I forget everything that much?" Tai said in bewilderment as Agumon held up the Crest of Courage. "These were destroyed by Apocalymon or something, weren't they?"

"No…no, you're not remembering wrong," Joe answered, equally awestruck, as he stared at his Crest of Reliability in Gomamon's flippers. "I remember it going like that too."

But among the nine Crests that belonged to nine of them, there were also three new ones. Davis realized his was a part of the new set. The other two…the goggle-head searched the room for Yolei and Cody. He found them a few beds over.

Sure enough, they were being given something too.

"So now we've got Crests too, huh?" Davis mused to himself. "I wonder what Cody's and Yolei's are called?" He didn't need to wait long to find out.

"The Crest of Passion?" the violet-haired girl repeated, as if Hawkmon had just told her. She had already put the magenta coloured necklace on.

"What's mine called, Armadillomon?" Cody asked, more controlled, but Davis could tell he was just as excited.

"It's called the Crest of Wisdom, Cody," the armadillo said happily. "And I think it suits you perfectly, if I do say so myself!"

Davis realized the rest of the room had gone silent for a while. He looked around again. Everyone was looking at him. Or rather, him and his group of friends.

"What's a Crest?" someone asked plaintively.

Now that was a good question. Before it could be answered, though, something strange happened. Davis nearly missed it out of the corner of his eye, but he saw it just in time.

Tai had reached out to take his Crest, which was in Agumon's claws, and the second he made contact with it, an orange glow poured out so powerfully, soon vanishing as fast as it had come, and the Crest was gone too…

…replaced by the Symbol of Courage over Tai's heart.

Everybody's eyes had now switched to Tai and Agumon, who looked quite amazed at what had just happened.

A blue flash suddenly appeared, and Davis threw his gaze over to Matt, who had the Symbol of Friendship also burned over his heart, the glow leaking though his clothes so everyone could see.

And so it happened one after the other that Davis's eyes had never moved as quickly as they did now.

The red glow came…and Sora…with the Symbol of Love.

Then the purple flash appeared…and Izzy…with the Symbol of Knowledge.

The green sparkle came next…and Mimi…with the Symbol of Sincerity.

Davis was shocked when he saw grey able to shine so brightly…and Joe…with the Symbol of Reliability.

The yellow blaze came…and TK (his real name came so naturally to Davis now)…with the Symbol of Hope.

Then the pink light shone (which the goggle-head knew all too well)…and Kari…with the Symbol of Light.

No one else's Crest glowed after that.

Once again, there was another round of awkward silence. They were only four hours into the new day, and it had been full of them. Top that off with their early morning light show they'd just seen, and today was just a perfect day.

"Well…" Davis recognized a Terriermon speaking. But it didn't belong to Willis. With a pang of regret he realized that the American probably didn't even remember his twin partners Terriermon and Lopmon, according to Alphamon and the grown-ups. "I've never been through a crazier day..."

"I don't get it," Davis muttered. "Why did their Crests disappear…" He glanced down at his own, then at Yolei, Cody, and finally Ken, who was in the bed to his right. "…and not ours? How did we get Crests in the first place?"

"Hey," another brunet said. He, too, also wore goggles, except they were more rectangular. "Why don't we talk to our parents first and then we get to all the explanations?"

"I don't think that's going to be possible," the blond boss said.

"And why's that, Yamaki?" Davis saw Kazu demand. How'd Kazu know that guy's name?

And…why did Kazu have a weird look on his face every time he saw Davis or one of his friends? Only now, it looked like he understood what that reason was, but just couldn't quite believe it yet.

"Talking to your parents right now would be fine," Yamaki relented. "But after knowing that you're all okay, I doubt they'll trust us to keep you here for a moment longer. They'll want you to go back home—not to mention you have school in about four hours."

Everyone groaned. Davis had completely forgotten he'd skipped class to get here.

He glanced at himself again, noticing for the first time that he was still in his high school uniform. For _nineteen hours_. Actually, maybe a little more than half the kids were in some sort of uniform too. At least he wasn't the only one.

"So when do we get our explanations?" a hot-headed brunet questioned. He looked to be about Tai's age, with no goggles.

"How about _after_ school?" an African-American man suggested.

"But where?" someone wondered.

"Not here," Sampson and Yamaki said in unison. Another grown-up added, "Your parents would never go with it."

"Would our parents even let us go to school?" Yolei pointed out.

 _I hope mine don't,_ Davis thought. He needed more time to catch up with Veemon anyway.

"I bet Sarah will," an Agumon piped up. A different Agumon, though. With red armbands. "You were laying on the bed the whole time, anyway, Aniki."

"I thought I told you not to call my mom by her name," the hot-headed brunet growled.

"Can we just get to calling already?" someone sighed.

~X~

At first, Ewan forgot how to stand. Or maybe it was because he'd been lying down for…how long had they said…nineteen hours?...and his body was still transitioning from Shutdown Mode to Wakeup Mode.

There were his shoes he had been wearing before on one side of his bed.

Ewan swung his legs off to the side, letting them dangle an inch above his shoes. Then he let himself drop, shoving his feet into the footwear.

Except his legs didn't seem to like the idea of holding his body up at the moment. He staggered as nothing was left to help him stand, and nearly fell face-first forward toward the ground had Damemon not been there to catch and support him. Ewan was faintly surprised his partner could actually take his weight given the Digimon's size.

"Thank you," he grunted.

"Hey," Tagiru hissed, sliding off his own bed to land right beside the blond. For a moment, he, too, staggered, but soon found the strength without Gumdramon's (who was right beside him) help.

"What?" Ewan murmured, glancing at the goggle-head.

Tagiru's eyes darted everywhere, as if worried that someone would be eavesdropping. His gaze rested on what looked to be a translucent Digimon. "Ewan…y'think those things are ghosts?"

For a moment Ewan just stared at his friend, puzzled for a moment. Then he smirked, and then his smirk turned into a laugh. "After all these years…I almost forgot…you're still afraid of ghosts?"

Tagiru snorted indignantly. "'Course not. I'm just making sure—"

"Yeah, sure." Ewan quickly followed the adults out of the room, staying a few steps behind his older sister Nene, making sure Damemon was beside him. He didn't even want to think of all the weird things that kept happening, one after the other, making his life a whole lot more complicated than it needed to be.

Tagiru was quick to follow right in step with him.

"Okay, I'm serious now. Do you remember our battle with Quartzmon?"

Ewan nearly stopped walking when he heard the name of their final enemy. "Yeah…I do now."

"Remember all those superstars that helped us?" Tagiru continued. Ewan glanced at his face and saw a dead seriousness in his eyes.

 _Superstars…why would Tagiru bring this up?...superstars…_

 _Tai Kamiya…Davis Motomiya…Takato Matsuki…Takuya Kanbara…Marcus Damon…_ The names kept coming, along with their faces. Wait. Their faces…four years ago…and now…

Ewan had seen the same exact faces reflected off of a few of the other people here with them. Only now they were much older, maturer, in appearance and action, but the fiery eyes, just like Tagiru, had never ceased to lose their spark.

Not one bit.

"W-We met them…" Ewan stammered. "They were—they helped us defeat Quartzmon!"

"Yeah," Tagiru agreed, eyes still emanating the serious vibe. For the first time, Ewan realized it didn't suit him. The goggle-head kept talking. "Remember what the Clock Shop Owner said about them?"

Ewan's mind went back to that fateful day he finally remembered, when their whole world had been turned into DigiQuartz by Quartzmon himself. What had the Clock Shop Owner said? "He said…all of them were from different universes." The second the words were out of his mouth they felt strange. What did it even mean to be from a different universe?

"Exactly," Tagiru said determinedly as they continued walking. Gumdramon and Damemon seemed to be in the midst of their own conversation "Didn't that Clock Shop guy say only his Clockmon would be able to travel through time and space?"

Ewan nodded thoughtfully. "I guess…" His eyes widened. He made sure to lower his voice. "You think the _Clock Shop Owner_ brought them all here?"

The brunet shrugged. "It's the only thing I can think of...anyway, the only reason that old guy would bring them here would be because—"

"Because if the worlds are in danger, like with Quartzmon," Ewan finished. He paused. "I can't believe you just thought of that."

"What?" Tagiru shot back defensively. "So I can't have a good idea every now and then? Anyway, I did just think of that, and you know what that means?"

"It means the worlds are in danger and you're not completely dumb anymore," Ewan half-teased.

"Yeah, that too, but it also means I can prove to be a superstar again!"

Ewan rolled his eyes. He'd put his hopes too high.

"There's one other thing," Tagiru added quietly.

"What's that?" Ewan asked, interest rising. What else did their leader have up his sleeve?

"You remember Quartzmon was using Astamon to control Ryouma, right?"

"Yes…why—?"

"Before I came to talk to you, I was talking with Ryouma. He said…Astamon came back as Psychemon. Except…he's free from Quartzmon's control now. He was in Ryouma's Fusion Loader."

"How...?"

"He said he'd talk about it later."

Ewan didn't know if Tagiru was referring to Ryouma or Psychemon. He didn't answer anyway.

He felt unexpectedly happy for the silver-haired boy. Maybe because he knew what it was like to lose your partner, even though Ryouma and he weren't in the exact same situation for it to be called feeling empathetic.

But it was close enough.

Just then, he noticed he was going up a flight of stairs. His body had done the work while his mind had been clueless of what he was doing…even as he was doing it.

They must have passed two or three floors before entering a huge room.

Monitors flashed on the walls. There were a bunch of revolving chairs scattered about a bunch of desks, and on some of the desks were telephones; and there were a _lot_ of desks.

Ewan's first thought was _Izzy must love this place._ His second thought was _Find a desk._

"You can make your calls now," the man named Yamaki said. "If you don't have your own phone, you can use the ones here." He looked quite relieved for them all being in here, probably because parents would now stop breathing on his neck.

Ewan left Tagiru to get to his own phoning business. He realized he was instinctively following Nene to one of the desks, Damemon beside him, his yellow Fusion Loader given back and safely tucked away in his dress pants pocket.

After getting his memories of Digimon back, he somehow felt even more respect for his older sister Nene, as well the others. He couldn't believe he had forgotten the lengths she had gone to save him from AxeKnightmon back in the Digital World, back when the Fusion Fighters had been fighting Baguramon.

"Sis," Ewan said hesitantly as he sat down on one of the revolving chairs beside the desk. "How worried do you think Papa is?" He took Damemon and placed his partner on his lap.

Nene pursed her lips as she sat down as well and let one hand reach for her cell phone. Sparrowmon had decided to go back into Nene's lavender Fusion Loader.

"I don't know…" Ewan's sister began. "…he's probably really worried. He's always been trying to watch us the best he can; he was even more worried when I'd become a singing idol, but now I've stopped to focus on my studies…but he's still overly protective ever since…"

Ewan let her leave her sentence hanging because he knew what she'd been about to say: _Mama…_ But he didn't want to push his sister on stuff that she didn't want to talk about, let alone stuff he didn't remember as a baby.

Nene sighed and dialed the familiar numbers in. A few seconds later Ewan could tell the other end had picked up. "Hello?…Yes, Papa, we're fine…yes, he's right beside me…Alright." She held out her phone to him. "He wants to talk to you."

Ewan took the phone. "Hello?"

His father's voice came on the line. "Ewan, are you alright? Why didn't one of you tell me you were both staying over somewhere?"

For a moment the blond was at a loss for words. His father's voice was edged with anger, but since he was his dad, Ewan could tell he was really very agitated. But what he didn't get was what his dad had said: _…you were staying over somewhere…_

And then it dawned on him.

 _Papa…all the parents…they called—uh, Hypnos—already! Did Yamaki and the others make a bluff to hide the real reason? They avoided the whole fact that we were asleep—_ Ewan gulped when he caught his mind avoiding the actual term _—for all this time since yesterday morning?_ It made sense, and it would make parents worry less than if they'd been told the latter, but they would have gone crazy all the same.

 _What if Papa had asked them to talk with me or sister?_ Ewan thought with a frown. _What would the adults have said? What_ did _they say?_

Ewan realized he was leaving his dad hanging. "Hello? Ewan?" came the voice.

"Yes, sorry! I—I—" _…didn't know I was going to stay here for the night until this morning!_ He stopped himself from saying what had formed in his head.

"We forgot," Nene supplied smoothly, soothingly, taking the phone from her brother. "We'd wanted to tell you before, but we'd forgotten." She handed the phone back to Ewan.

"Well…" Their father paused for a moment, as if contemplating what to say. "I'm just glad you're safe. But next time, don't forget to tell me anything, alright?"

"Alright, Papa," Ewan replied, voice steadier.

Was this really the only right way? To lie to his dad? Why wouldn't he understand if they reminded him of Digimon again? When, why, and how had things gotten so messed up?

"Ewan, what were you and Nene even doing there?"

Ewan froze at the question because really, there was no straight answer to that. "…You see…" He gritted his teeth as he tried to evade the question. "We were going to go home earlier, but…"

He was saved from answering, startlingly, by his father. "Never mind, Ewan. We'll talk about this later. Just…I'll come pick you up now. Tell me the address?"

Ewan was about to answer when he remembered what the blue-haired bespectacled man had told all of them at Odaiba High, just before they'd left for Shinjuku: _"The ride back to your homes shall be made as well."_

Ewan said, "Papa it's fine, we'll be coming back home right now. Some nice people here will be dropping us off." He nearly said "See you soon" but felt it was too sentimental. Instead he pressed **Call End** and handed the phone back to his sister.

"I don't think Papa's convinced." He exhaled slowly.

"I know," Nene nodded grimly. "I don't want to keep this a secret, but…after just remembering, it seems like telling him won't make it any better."

Ewan got the real message. They understood enough that Digimon-related problems were always dangerous; if they told their over protective father, wouldn't it be dangerous for him too?

"No good, no good!" Damemon spoke for the first time. "Telling your dad will do no good, no good!"

"It'll be okay, Nene," Sparrowmon reassured from Nene's Fusion Loader. "Things will come out fine in the end. But for now, we'll stay a secret from your dad!"

A commotion stopped the siblings' conversation. They glanced over to where the red lizard— _Guilmon,_ Ewan remembered, back when Takato had introduced themselves back in the battle with Quartzmon—and his Tamer were speaking with Yamaki and the other adults.

"Guilmon," Takato was arguing, "Guilmon Home was filled with concrete three years ago, remember?"

Yamaki looked stunned for a moment as he spoke softly. "That's right…it was…but…it isn't anymore."

"…What?"

"Takato doesn't remember?" Guilmon whimpered. The dino shook his head. "Never mind. Takato'll remember… It's open now and _bigger_. Everyone can meet there and we can all talk."

This seemed to pique everyone's interest as they all turned Guilmon's way, having seemed to have finished talking on the phones.

"Guilmon Home?" Izzy echoed curiously. "Your Digimon has a home in the Real World?"

"Uh…you could say that," Takato said timidly.

"And he says we can meet there?"

"All of us!" Guilmon cheered.

"Yay~!" a small white Digimon applauded.

"Not a bad idea," another brunet ( _Takuya,_ Ewan recalled) considered. "When and where do we meet?"

"After school," came a few answers.

"At four, then," one said. "Twelve hours from now."

"But where exactly is Guilmon Home?" Mikey asked.

"It's a small…shed, I guess you could say, with a black metal gate," Suzie described. "You'll find it at some point. It's in Shinjuku Park."

"Shinjuku?" an older spiky-haired boy repeated. He leaned in and whispered something to Takuya.

Ewan, having been walking closer to the group, heard something like _"…gotta take the train…"_

"Okay, then!" Tagiru declared. "We've got a date and time set! Everybody better be there!"

 _And if they're not?_ Ewan countered in his head. _Whatever. Just leave him be._

For a second everyone was quiet. Again. Then:

"Can we go home now?"

* * *

 **Crier Residence, 13:00**

Not for the first time, Keenan's eyes strayed to the clock mounted against the wall.

Three hours to go.

His parents had let him stay home today, and he was quite grateful for it. He got to hang out with Falcomon, with his parents at work as researchers and his five-year-old sister Ruka off at school (in kindergarten).

The only downside was that he had had to go to school early in the morning to pick up whatever work he would've missed today and had already missed yesterday. He was working on it right now.

Keenan had already confirmed with Kristy that she, he, and Marcus would go together at four. He knew he couldn't miss this meeting with the other kids...

Kids that had Digimon.

With different Digivices.

That were not known to Sampson or Yushima.

So who were they?

The events of the morning (the _whole_ morning) were still struggling to digest in his stomach. On top of that were long-lost memories beginning to resurface, and as unbelievable as they were, they were the only explanations that were able to fit the gaps in his life.

No wonder he'd felt overly jittery on the first day of high school: he'd barely _had_ any experience in school to begin with.

For the first ten years of his life, he'd grown up in the Digital World, raised by Frigimon, Merukimon, and Falcomon as his partner. But the two former Digimon had both died due to Kurata's evil intentions.

And because of that, Keenan had hated humans, even considering himself as a Digimon. That is, until Marcus and the others had opened his eyes and made him realize that not all humans were bad.

In the end, he was a human with a Digimon's heart.

Back to this morning's events.

His parents had been extremely worried for him, wondering why he hadn't come back, if they'd lost him again… And that was when Keenan realized that they'd subconsciously said 'again' as if some part of them remembered losing him as a baby from the Digital Gate accident.

When he'd gotten home at almost five in the morning, his parents had instantly started asking how he was. Keenan had attempted to sidestep each question, but was pretty sure he hadn't exactly done the best job at it.

His parents left him alone anyways, which could only mean they'd bring it up again when he'd least expect it.

But for the whole time, they didn't seem to remember anything related to Digimon or the Digiworld.

So Falcomon had stayed in Keenan's Data Link the whole ride back as the adults had driven them back home in groups depending on where they lived. Thomas, Yoshino, Megumi, Miki, Sampson, and Yushima had all gone back to Hokkaido via plane or chopper, he didn't know.

Maybe both.

Keenan didn't know whether to feel bad or not that they'd have to take another aerial trip back to Shinjuku on the same day.

Two hours and fifty-two minutes to go...

And counting.

* * *

 **Matsuki Residence, 15:52**

"Takato, c'mon, we gotta go!" Guilmon called.

"Guilmon, keep it down!" Takato warned. He instantly felt guilty for the reprimand and backed it up with, "I'll be there in a minute, boy! I just need to get something…"

He rummaged around in his closet, looking around, feeling, feeling…there it was! His fingers touched something thick and smooth, and in a few seconds, he had a deck of cards (in the case) in his hands. But not just any cards.

Digimon Power-Up cards.

Somehow it felt reassuring, familiar, to be holding them. It wasn't nearly as much joy though, as seeing Jeri's delighted face—all their happy faces—when they'd first seen Leomon sitting on the edge of his partner's hospital bed back at Hypnos.

After so long…they had all seen Leomon die right before their very eyes, bursting into bits of data…they'd even seen him being absorbed by Beelzemon, something Impmon had never forgiven himself for.

But there Leomon was, alive and well, insisting that he'd explain everything this afternoon.

Which, according to Takato's clock, meant in eight minutes.

He strapped his cards to his waist. His other fellow Tamers would probably be bringing their own Digi-Modify cards as well.

But there was one other thing that was disturbing Takato, and he and his friends had agreed to discuss this at the meeting: the Digimon TV show.

From the first day of high school, Kazu had recognized _Davis_ _Motomiya_ , a student in his class and new friend, from somewhere, though he hadn't known where. But now he did.

Back at Hypnos's infirmary, they'd seen the proof; thirteen pieces of proof, to be precise.

The DigiDestined from the TV show had been there with their exact appearances _and_ matching partner Digimon. They'd even had the Crests with them even though Takato didn't really get how since they'd been destroyed in the first groups' final battle.

Takato also didn't get how Davis, Cody, and Yolei had received Crests, either.

But that wasn't the point; the final piece of evidence was that they had mentioned _Gennai_ , who, if Takato remembered from the show right, was the DigiDestined's guide. The old wrinkled man that had gone young in the second season.

Except according to the kids before Takato's eyes, they'd mentioned Gennai was dead, which alarmed and confused the Takato's group at the same time.

And that was exactly why the Tamers had agreed to discussing it at Guilmon Home.

Come to think of it…Ryo had seemed a little off when they'd spoken anything about the DigiDestined or the Digimon TV show to begin with. Takato had a hunch on what it was, but didn't want to pursue the older boy any further. Ryo would find his answers soon enough.

"Takato~!" Guilmon cried.

"Coming!" the Tamer responded. He noticed his Digimon at the foot of the staircase. "Gah!"

The brunet quickly grabbed a cardboard box from his room and, flying down the stairs, shoved it on top of his partner. "Guilmon, we have to make sure Mom and Dad don't see you!" he whispered.

Takato quickly shoved Guilmon-in-the-Box across the corridor, hastily trying to cross the intersection that led into the kitchen where his parents were.

He sighed in relief as they passed it and made it to the front door and were about to leave when his mom called out, "Takato? Where are you going?"

He did the first thing he could think of: tell part of the truth. "Just going out to meet up with some friends!"

"Are you done all your homework?" That was his dad.

"Y-Yes!"

Silence. Then, his mom again: "Well, if you're going to see some friends, why don't you bring some bread for them?"

Takato's mind flashed back to the time his parents had first made Guilmon Bread. It felt like so long ago and yet he still remembered it. It had soon grown popular in their bakery, but they weren't making it anymore.

Takato couldn't seem to remember when they had stopped.

 _If they only knew…_ Takato thought sorrowfully.

"Sure, Mom! Guilmon, stay here," he added in a hushed tone.

"Okay, Takato!" Guilmon said in a shout-whisper.

Just how much bread should he take with him? There were more people—and Digimon—this time around. _Way_ more.

"Um…" And then he had an idea.

He grabbed a red wagon in the back of the kitchen. He used it sometimes when he was on errands delivering breads and pastries to more than one person. "We can put the bread in here!"

His mom looked at him. "Takato, are you really taking a wagon-full?"

Takato flushed, flustered for a moment. "Well…there are a lot more friends I'm meeting up with this time. On the bright side…it'll, uh, promote our bakery!"

His mother did a face-palm, thinking hard. She was probably thinking _I shouldn't have asked him to bring bread._

"…Alright, but you're only taking so much just this once."

"Okay! Thanks, Mom!" The two quickly stuffed the wagon with bags of bread, pastries, and the like. At least no one would be hungry in their meeting.

Pulling the wagon behind him, Takato called a quick "Bye!" as he pushed his partner out the front door. Lucky for him, there were holes at the front of the box in which Guilmon could see out of, so Takato wouldn't have to push him _and_ pull a wagon full of baked goods at the same time.

They walked down the streets, people occasionally shooting them an odd glance or two, but leaving them alone. Takato sighed in relief.

That was when he chanced a look up at the blue sky…well, almost blue.

He immediately did a double take.

"Guilmon…l-look up."

Through the serene azure, a crack of blood-red showed, almost hidden among the swirling clouds. But the goggle-head was sure he was seeing it right.

"Takato…" Guilmon growled. Takato risked a lift of the box to check on his partner. His eyes had gone concentrated, his pupils thinning into slits, as he continued to stare at the sky. His biohazard mark glowed ominously.

And then it happened.

Takato suddenly felt a rush of emotions; he felt his senses go into overdrive. He coukd hear the squeaking of a mouse ten metres to their right, saw the red tendril in the sky with much greater detail than before, tasted the thick tension in the air, felt an imminent danger hanging in the balance…

And he sensed Guilmon by his side, thinking the same thoughts, knew he was discerning the same things; for a moment they were completely in sync with each other, Takato with Guilmon and Guilmon with Takato.

"There's danger…" they hissed in unison.

And then it stopped.

The sky stopped bleeding, almost as if it had magically healed, and Guilmon's eyes went back to the way they were. The lizard suddenly acted as if nothing had happened. Takato jerked as if he had been tugged out of something, which, in a sense, was exactly what had just happened.

"Takato?" Guilmon asked. "Why's the box not on me? Is it safe to come out now?"

"Er, no, not yet," Takato said, hastily placing the box back on. They'd arrived at the entrance to Shinjuku Park. "Just a little further, boy, and then you can take it off."

As they continued walking, the wagon rolling along behind them, Takato couldn't help but think of what had just happened a moment ago.

They'd nearly reached their friends—Takato could see some of them now—when he heard a voice, whispering in the wind. He paused slightly, and then continued walking, his pace ever faster, his spine still tingling from the words he had heard, churning in his head.

 ** _"_** ** _There's a storm coming, boy, and you won't be able to stop it…"_**

* * *

 **DIGITAL WORLD**

 **Flame Terminal, Unknown Time**

The explosion rocked under Bokomon's feet as he heard a blast ring through his ears. He felt another detonation shake the ground, sending him stumbling into Neemon, who yelped in surprise.

In the distance, shouts and cries could be heard.

The enemy had come.

"C'mon, you Bakamon, we need to get outta here!" Bokomon tugged on Neemon's pants and let them snap back, startling Neemon into reality as they both dashed for the exit to their hut.

Right before they reached the door, Bokomon threw a one-eighty as he reversed, making a beeline for his bookshelf.

"Hey, Bokomon!" Neemon called in his wake. "I thought you said we need to get outta here?"

Bokomon quickly grabbed the book he wanted and went back to the door. "Yes, you idiot! Go!"

As they made their way out, Bokomon noticed the throng of Digimon escaping with them. They were mostly at the In-Training level. All around them, huts, homes, and buildings went down as they were shot by red flaming arrows seemingly coming out of nowhere.

How ironic, the small white Digimon thought. Flame Terminal would be brought down by fire.

They kept running, even though Bokomon had no idea where. Out of the flaming town, that was for sure.

Maybe the Forest Terminal? Even if it was so far away…

Bokomon, Neemon, and the other Rookie and (some) Champion (but mostly In-Training) Digimon were at the edge of Flame Terminal when they were intercepted by tall shadows.

Literally. Complete with red eyes.

Bokomon instantly stopped, Neemon crashing into him. The horde of Digimon eventually came to a halt as well.

Behind them lay their home, being destroyed, perhaps with some not able to escape from the wreckage. In front of them lay their foe, blocking their way forward, standing imperiously before them.

The escapees were trapped.

 ** _"_** ** _Join us,"_** the Voice threatened. **_"Join us if you wish your lives to be spared!"_**

Neemon's legs shook. The pair were in the midst of the crowd. "H-H-Hey, Bokomon…why don't we…j-join them, huh…?"

Neemon was given a rubber slap in response. "Don't be a coward," Bokomon rebuked. "We have to have faith that the Legendary Warriors will come and save the Digital World again!"

"Yeah right, and be controlled to destroy fellow Digimon?" one of the Digimon retorted to the shady creatures. "We'll never join the likes of you!" Pretty soon all the Digimon were shouting, pushing forward in an attempt to escape.

And then it happened so fast Bokomon barely saw it. One of the shadows grabbed the nearest In-Training Digimon—a Pagumon—and withdrew a long dark blade from the folds of its robe (it was humanoid in shape anyway) and in a second slashed the Pagumon in half.

A burst of golden dust followed.

But no Digiegg came after.

For a moment, all were shocked in sadness. Then a wailing was taken up, first by one but soon spreading until everyone was screaming, screaming and mourning.

 ** _"_** ** _SILENCE!"_** Everyone immediately stopped. **_"Let this be a lesson to you all. Or you will be next."_**

The shadows advanced, blades drawn, arcing and hacking, killing Digimon every which way. Some surrendered, horrified of suffering an irreversible fate, in the hopes that being the enemy's slave would somehow be better than utter deletion?

Fear rose at the back of Bokomon's throat. He looked around him as the enemy got closer, blades drawing nearer with each step…

Wait a minute. Where was Neemon? He threw a glance behind him to see the yellow bunny running the opposite direction toward the flaming Flame Terminal.

 _The idiot!_ Bokomon thought. He raced after him, a little slow because of the book he was carrying.

By the time he was able to catch up to Neemon, they were already a few steps into Flame Terminal. Bokomon could feel the heat from the flames coming off everything, felt the death hanging thickly in the air.

"Nee—mon!" he gasped, since he was still out of breath from all the running. "You…" He was too worn out to say anything else.

Something crumbled behind them. Bokomon whipped around to see a building teeter and smash into the ground, red flames swirling up, cutting off their escape route completely.

In front of them lay more fire and explosions.

There was nowhere else to go.

Bokomon looked down at his book, the one Takuya and the others had encouraged him to write: _The Adventures of the Legendary Warriors_.

Maybe they'd come again someday and reclaim the Digiworld like they had four years ago from Lucemon.

The only difference was that Bokomon and Neemon wouldn't be there to see it happen again.

"It's been nice knowing you, Neemon," Bokomon cried, suddenly feeling overly dramatic as he hugged the yellow rabbit, the book squashed between them. The flames trickled closer to them as more blasts slowly destroyed their home. "I just wanted you to know that all those times I've rubber slapped you or called you an idiot, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, and—"

"Hey look, there's a Digimon flying toward us," Neemon said cheerfully.

"That's nice, Neemon…wait a moment, WHAT NOW?!"

Before he could say another word, they were both lifted up into the air by two arms.

Bokomon felt light-headed. _We're saved!_

"Who are you…?" he slurred.

"Your rescuer," the Digimon replied. Bokomon's vision was slightly dim, so he couldn't exactly make out the shape, only the fact that Neemon was riding beside him, and that the book was safely tucked under his own arms.

"Where are we going?" Bokomon forced himself to ask.

"A place where old friends are," was the only reply.

For a while the only sound was the beating of wings as they flew through the now-permanently blood-red sky. Bokomon thought about all the Digimon that had probably died back at Flame Terminal. And their home…it was destroyed.

Neemon broke the silence.

"Hey, Bokomon…did you really mean it when you said you were sorry about rubber slapping me and—" He never finished his sentence.

Bokomon reached over, tugged on Neemon's pants and quickly let them snap back again. The yellow rabbits eyes went wide, then he smiled goofily.

Bokomon thought he could hear their saviour chuckle lightly as they soared toward the bloody horizon ahead of them.

* * *

 _Uh-oh, looks like things are rough in the Digital World! Who is Bokomon and Neemon's savior and where is their rescuer taking them? What did Takato and Guilmon see in the sky and how did they connect the way they did? How will the great gathering of heroes go? You'll just have to read the next chapter to find out!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Willis: I want to bring him (and Michael and the other Chosen/DigiDestined around the world) in at some point. Just not now.

2\. Guilmon Home: In the Digimon Tamers Audio Drama CD _Message in a Packet_ , taking place a year after the Tamers had destroyed the D-Reaper, it is said Guilmon Home had been covered/clogged in with concrete (by Hypnos, I believe…?) for fear that the Digital Gate and/or Field there would one day expand.

3\. Guilmon's Speech: Guilmon talks in the first or third person, so I'll switch occasionally.

4\. Bakamon: 'Baka' means 'idiot', so 'Bakamon' technically means 'Idiot-mon', which is just something Bokomon used to call Neemon sometimes.

~X~

 _Okay, I do admit, I was planning to put the 'ultimate meeting' into this, but then I realized it'd be way too long. So that's gonna be done in Chapter 12. For sure. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this, and don't forget to leave a review before you go!_


	12. For Everyone's Important

**A/N:** _Happy New Year, guys! Sorry for the wait, but at least we're here._

 _Special thanks to_ _ **Ultimateblack**_ _for correcting an error I made in Chapter 11. Also, using the advice he gave me, I am now using 'brother' instead of 'Oniichan', 'Mom' instead of 'Okasan', and etc. for the purpose of everyone being able to picture each character's actions and speech better. Some of the younger ones however may call their older siblings by name because in the Japanese dub they call their siblings by name (with an honorific at the end of their names)._

 **Disclaimer:** _Plot belongs to me, just not the original show or the characters, you know? Yeah you do. On with the story!_

~X~

 **Chapter 12: For Everyone's Important**

 **Shibuya Subway Station, 16:02**

"Ack!" Takuya cried as they all rocketed into the retreating train. "We're late!"

"No thanks to you," Koji muttered. "You were the last one to meet us here." Takuya glared at the other boy. Tommy sighed. An argument was just waiting to happen.

"What's wrong, Tommy?" Kumamon asked from the young boy's D-Tector. Tommy weaved to the back of the train so he could speak to his Human Spirit in private. "Are you worried that those two are gonna fight?"

"No," said Tommy. "They'll get over it."

"Then what's the matter?"

"It's nothing, really…"

"Liar. It's something if Korikkakumon and I can feel it coming off you. Now spit it out!"

Tommy was about to answer when his cell phone chimed. He stifled a groan. He didn't want to pick up but knew doing the latter would result in a worse situation.

"Hello?" he greeted wearily.

"Tommy, where are you?"

"I'm out."

"Out where?"

The thirteen-year-old gritted his teeth. "With some friends."

"Which friends?"

"Brother, does it matter?" Tommy's voice was rising.

"You're out with those older kids, aren't you? Takuya and others?" Yutaka's voice had risen to be equally heated on the other end.

Tommy didn't answer. He didn't want to yell at his older brother.

But he didn't want to lie to him either.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Yutaka said. He said it with no boasting.

"So what if you are? They're not who you think they are!" Tommy argued.

"Tommy, get home, now! You were just out for the whole night with Mom and Dad worryi—"

"Brother," Tommy cut in, reining in his stress. "You've always wanted me to be independent, and now I am."

"You know that's not what I—"

"I'll get home soon, don't worry. But there's just somewhere I have to go, and something I have to do." Tommy ended the call before Yutaka could lecture him further. He plopped himself into an empty seat in an area no one else was in.

"Ohh, so that's it," Kumamon realized.

"Uh-huh," Tommy grunted. He looked out the window wistfully.

He let a hand rest on the window, where dimly lit walls, and occasionally people and buildings, blurred by.

"I just wish he didn't worry," Tommy murmured to his Spirits and himself. "But the thing is, he has a right to worry. He doesn't know that my friends are really good friends. They could be a bad influence on me for all he knows. And now, now that I can't tell him anything about Digimon…ugh…" He curled his fingers, letting them grip the window harder as anger and frustration bubbled in him.

His fingers tingled but he didn't pay attention to them. Takuya and the others had come up to him.

"Hey, Tommy, we were wondering where you'd gone," Takuya called.

"Is everything alright?" Koichi asked worriedly.

"…Yeah," the younger boy said.

Zoë scrutinized him. "Okay then. When you're ready to talk about it Tommy, we'll be ready to listen."

A gasp from JP startled Tommy, followed by the shocked stares of the others. They were looking at him.

"W-W-What is it?" he sputtered, equally dumbstruck by their reactions.

"Your hand…" was all JP could say.

Tommy looked at his hand on the window and took a sharp intake of breath.

Frost and crystals swirled outward from his fingers, spreading up the window. At first the ice traveled slowly, but soon spread faster and faster at more jagged and random angles, until the whole window was covered in translucent white and silver. Tiny icicles formed at the top rim of the window.

"What happened?" Tommy gasped.

"Seems to be side effects from each of you having a spiritual element to control," JägerLoweemon mused from Koichi's black D-Tector. "Now even as humans, you still retain some control of your element. Depending on your emotions though, the power you have with it can change."

"So that's it," Koji said quietly, as if he'd put something together in his head.

Tommy retracted his hand from the window. _Emotions,_ he thought. _When my hand was on the window, I was…_

Angry. Stressed. No wonder the ice had traveled so jaggedly and randomly, it was like they'd been imitating his thoughts, all jumbled and confused.

"Come to think of it," Zoë murmured, mostly to herself. "Back on the first day of school, I felt a wind pick up in the class, but the windows were all closed. I'd just been feeling…happy."

"Carefree," Kazemon asserted. "Like how the wind is."

"Yesterday morning," Koji continued. "JP…"

"…the lightning bolt didn't really miss you, did it?" Takuya caught on, turning to JP. "It really did hit you… You just didn't want the rest of us to be as weirded out as you were about it."

"I…I'd just sensed it coming," JP admitted embarrassedly. "So I felt that I had to protect you two…"

"…and so you're immune to thunder, lightning, and electricity," Beetlemon declared.

"Also…" Koichi said hesitantly. When everyone looked his way, he forced himself to continue. "It's just…I tend to feel more comfortable at night, or in the shadows—"

"And you blend into them too," Koji added. "Like back at Shibuya Park. And I…"

"Feel uncomfortable at night or in the dark?" Tommy guessed. The gruff boy simply nodded.

The five of them looked to their leader.

The Warrior of Flame did a sweat-drop as he was put on the spot. "Well, you see…the thing is…none o' that stuff's actually happened to me, so…" He stopped himself as the train jerked to a halt.

They'd arrived at Shinjuku.

Tommy hated just leaving the window all frozen like that.

* * *

 **Shinjuku Park, 16:36**

"Guilmon! Is it done yet?"

The red reptile stuck his head out from the black metal gate. "Almost, Takato! Just a little more!" The group of DigiDestined with the boy named Takato waited by the gate, a red wagon beside them.

Meanwhile, Cody waited patiently on the grass with his other fellow DigiDestined minus Joe and Gomamon. According to the others, the oldest boy would be here as soon as he finished writing a test. Other than that they'd all arrived around fifteen minutes ago. Their Digimon had all De-Digivolved back to the In-Training level, except for Gatomon, who'd gone down to Rookie as Salamon.

At the moment though, their Digimon were all munching away in front of them on snacks that Yolei had brought. Their partners watched them amusedly.

"Cody," Upamon said between bites. "This chocolate bar's so _good_."

"Well, you can buy all you want at Inoue Convenience," Poromon informed him happily, flapping his wings.

Kari giggled as she turned to her DNA partner. "Did you teach him to advertise your family's convenience store?"

"Again?" Davis and TK added in unison.

"Maybe…" Yolei replied sneakily.

"Upamon," Cody warned. "Leave some food for everyone else."

"Aww…"

"Let him eat," Izzy reassured. "He's not eating as much as—hey, watch your intake, Motimon!"

"'Watch your intake'?" Tai smirked. "Does an In-Training even get—?"

"Hey, Tai," Matt cut in. "Before you start blowing your mouth off on someone else, 'watch your own partner's intake'."

"What do you m—Koromon!" Tai shouted embarrassedly. They all watched, biting back laughs, as Koromon let out a pink swirly stool.

"Sorry, Tai, I couldn't help it…" Koromon said apologetically. "I ate so much 'cause the food was so good…"

"Speaking of which…Yolei, did you bring enough food for…everyone…and not just us?" Sora asked.

"...sort of?" Yolei answered.

"And 'sort of' means…" Mimi prompted.

"Everyone else gets…whatever bags are left?" Yolei reddened a bit. "Well, it's not _my_ fault I have to pay for whatever I take out of the store! I brought at least six more bags and I think I'm eighty bucks in the hole!"

"Six bags?" repeated all ten kids incredulously.

"Six bags?" echoed ten Digimon. "Where?"

"They're not for you," TK reprimanded. "There are other Digimon and people who haven't eaten as much as you have."

"You didn't have to get so much," Ken put in, turning to Yolei. "We could've at least paid for some of it…"

"Hey there, don't start getting too kind," Davis joked, elbowing his best friend.

Soon after their conversation faded into silence as everyone was left in their own thoughts. Even the Digimon had resorted to eating uncharacteristically quietly.

Cody was mainly thinking of what was to happen as soon as Guilmon had finished doing… whatever he was doing. It didn't seem all the kids had even arrived yet (excluding Joe). And even when they did, what were they all going to talk about? It was all so confusing and yet it was happening.

Not for the first time in the day, he looked at the back of his hand. The mark had long gone along with the burning sensation. Either Cody's hand had healed from the acid (which he didn't think was so easily possible) or it had faded from reality and had gone back to being in the dreamscape. He was going with the latter.

Now that he knew and remembered better on who Oikawa was and how he'd died, his visit felt all the more meaningful to Cody, and his warning all the more ominous.

Something in Cody told him he'd have to tell everyone all about it. Not just his fellow DigiDestined—these 'new' ones too.

Among more, this would be one of the huge threats approaching them all.

"OI!" someone called. They all looked in the distance as two figures came sprinting down the path. It was Joe, with Pukamon in his arms. It had been the Digimon who'd yelled.

When they finally caught up, Joe was panting in his suit and tie. "Finally…finished…test…"

Pukamon looked at his friends wolfing down on everything. "Aww...how much did I miss? See, I told you we should've gone earlier!"

Joe sighed, still a tad out of breath. "Sorry, Pukamon…" He noticed the pink dung in the grass. "Uh… _did_ we miss anything?"

Ignoring the pink swirl, Tai looked from Digimon to human. "Well, other than Pukamon getting a small share of the food…not really," he said shortly.

Joe raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you missed Koromon and Tai fertilizing the soil," Matt enlightened sarcastically.

Everyone laughed—except for the said partners.

* * *

 **Guilmon Home, 16:40**

"It's ready!" Guilmon declared.

"Finally," Tagiru carped.

He, Mikey, and the rest of the Fusion Fighters and Hunters were sitting on the grass near the trees as another individual group off to the side from everyone else. Actually, everybody was off in their own sort of squad. There was one group of twelve kids also on the grass, a group of seven a little farther from them who looked to mostly consist of the older teens (and two adults), and a group of ten near the black metal gate (who was with other grown-ups). One of them was the one partnered to Guilmon.

As they all heard the reptile's call, ever so slowly, each group stood up, unsure of who was going to go in first. The gang near the gate was already filing in.

"We'd better follow them," Mikey suggested. It was only a suggestion, but it carried so much authority. Everyone instantly followed him, whatever he said. Tagiru wished he had that talent. It was one of the reasons why he looked up to Mikey as a superstar.

Tagiru didn't find himself as good a leader as Mikey was. Mikey had led the Fusion Fighters to victory multiple times, the biggest against Baguramon. Tagiru had led the Legendary Heroes to victory only once. _Once._ The rest of the time he'd been hunting Digimon…earned some money for it with Hideaki…but for the most part he'd acted like it was all a game.

But it wasn't. And he'd prove that he knew it this time around.

He twiddled with his goggles given to him by Mikey so long ago for reassurance.

They hesitated at the front gate.

"What are you all waiting for?" Tagiru demanded, stepping in. "There's no time to stare at the entrance. We've got to—gah!" He caught himself before he could stumble more. The entrance led directly to a _staircase_. Leading down…down…down…into a huge room.

"Wow…" he muttered. "Okay, let's go."

When he reached the bottom, Tagiru noticed that everyone was seated on the edges of the room. There was still plenty of space left for the other groups. It was slightly quiet, with occasional whispers to one another. Even the adults were here.

The room had surprisingly good lighting, though Tagiru couldn't see how mere daylight could illuminate a room this large. He had a feeling it was more than daylight.

Eventually, he took a seat, his friends beside him, and then the other groups walked in, and then the pouring of people stopped.

"Hey, Tagiru," Gumdramon said through Tagiru's crimson Fusion Loader. "Can I come out now?"

"Yeah, I guess," Tagiru agreed. "Reload, Gumdramon!" With a flash his partner appeared in front of him. Some of his other friends let their Digimon out too. Others watched it happen, mesmerized.

"So is everyone here?" Mikey checked.

For a moment, no one answered, probably because no one knew the answer.

"Um…"

"Wait for us!" a voice cried.

Everybody's heads jerked up at the entrance, where a boy with rectangular goggles gasped for breath. As he jogged down the stairs, five more kids followed him, looking equally drained.

"Not our fault—we live—in…Shibuya," gasped the oldest boy.

"I think everyone is present now." Everyone jumped as Alphamon strolled out of the shadows.

 _How the heck does he do that?_ Tagiru fumed.

"This may seem repetitive, but do you all know exactly who you are now?"

 _Who I am…_ Tagiru considered. _A Hunter…_

A few nodded slowly, as if unsure how to answer. Speaking would result in an undistinguishable chorus of 'yes' that they wouldn't know if someone had said 'no'. Tagiru nodded with the group.

When all was silent, Mikey proposed, "Should we raise our hands when we want to talk?"

"Good idea," agreed a bushy-haired teen. Mikey nodded to him. They looked about the same age. Was he a friend of Mikey's from university? Wait a minute…Tagiru's memory stirred. It was Tai Kamiya!

Near Tai, a redhead raised his hand. "I think the one thing we all have in common is that we're some sort of DigiDestined, despite our different Digivices."

Several people were nodding in agreement. Actually around half the people were nodding in agreement, though Tagiru had no idea what that kid was talking about.

He leaned over to Mikey. "You following that guy?"

His idol frowned. "Not really…but something tells me we're all on the same boat." Actually, come to think of it, if those Legendary Heroes who had saved their worlds had come to them and Mikey and Tagiru were _also_ Legendary Heroes who had saved their _own_ worlds too, then that probably meant they were whatever the redhead was calling everybody.

Another goggle-head raised his hand. Takuya Kanbara! "I think before we should do anything we should introduce ourselves first."

 _Good idea._ The brunet continued.

"We can start here and go…clockwise. I'm Takuya Kanbara." And so they went around in a circle, eventually all the names mingling into a steady rhythm until it was Tagiru's own turn. He introduced himself and it continued in a whole cycle. Even the adults gave their names. All of the kids (and Sampson and Yushima) said their partners' names, except for Takuya's group.

Tagiru suddenly remembered that it was because they didn't have partners (at least, he knew Takuya didn't)! Takuya had _been_ the Digimon when he'd first seen him. But did everyone else know that?

Huh, they were done the intros anyway. Tagiru now knew that the redhead was named Izzy.

Alphamon cleared his throat. Everyone turned to him, hoping for a straight answer.

"Izzy is correct that you are all some sort of DigiDestined, or Chosen Child. However, there is one sole difference that sets you all apart from one another."

Now it was _too_ silent. To Tagiru, anyway. Under normal circumstances, he would've spoken something on instinct, but years had passed and it wasn't like he was the only one who hadn't changed. He had at least—according to his friends—acquired _some_ self-restraint from being impulsive.

Like that helped out anyway.

But in this situation, he felt it was important that he spoke. He _knew_ it was important.

He raised his hand. If Alphamon felt annoyed for having an interruption, he didn't show it, and instead, beckoned for Tagiru to continue.

All eyes rested on him. No pressure or anything. "We're from different universes, aren't we?"

After his statement he was pretty sure he could hear a pin drop.

"That is correct."

"How did you—?" someone started.

"Because you've all met before, that's why," came a voice at the top of the dirt stairwell. From his posture Tagiru could tell it was an old man. Not just any old man…

"The Clock Shop Owner?" he and his friends gasped. The said man descended the stairs casually as if he were quite punctual to the meeting.

"The who?" some blurted out.

"Ah," Alphamon said in relief. "It's good to see you."

"Alive and well, at least," the Clock Shop Owner (CSO) said in return. "Now we can really begin."

"You mentioned something about different universes and that we've all met before," the boy named Henry prompted.

The Royal Knight nodded. "Yes we did."

By the confused expressions of many of the people (and Digimon) Alphamon said, "To make things easier, each group of DigiDestined should explain your adventures with your Digimon before we…get into the interdimensional relationships."

"Tai, how about you begin for your group?" the CSO offered.

The teen blinked. "How do you know my—?"

"The answer is in one of the stories you're about to hear."

Still baffled, Tai began his account. He'd been in fifth grade at a summer camp with six other kids. That marked the beginning of a journey to a world they'd never known existed. As they traveled there and met their partners, their battles became more serious and meaningful with each passing one, their Digimon learning to Digivolve to higher levels. Devimon, then Etemon. Their Crests, he explained, represented traits that they showed best.

"So those are those necklaces that had flashed back at the infirmary?" Megumi checked.

"Yeah," confirmed Matt.

When battling Myotismon they'd had to go to the Human World again to get the Eighth Child, Kari Kamiya. After doing that and defeating VenomMyotismon, they fought (again in the Digiworld) against the Dark Masters, and finally Apocalymon. They'd had to leave their Digimon behind for their home but it was a summer they'd never forgotten.

"And all of it lasted a summer…"

"Yup."

Tai turned to Davis, who sighed almost unnoticeably, then nodded and took the floor.

Three years later, he said, the Gate had opened once again, calling a new group of DigiDestined to fight the new threat, the Digimon Emperor who used Dark Rings to control Digimon and put up Control Spires to stop Digivolution.

"Th—That's awful," Ai remarked. "Who would want to do something like that?"

"…Me…" Ken said meekly. "I…"

"It wasn't your fault!" Davis snapped, then got a hold of himself. "I'm sorry for yelling."

"No…I'm sorry for bringing it up," Ai said.

To counter the threat, Davis, Yolei, and Cody were chosen to get new Digivices (D-3's) and partners, along with a new kind of Digivolution called Armour Digivolution, which could bypass the Control Spires. TK and Kari's Digivices also changed to their model and earned Armour Digivolution too. After a few battles, they learned that the Emperor was indeed Ken Ichijouji, a boy genius at the time. After defeating him, they discovered he was actually a good person inside.

Eventually, they gained the power of DNA Digivolution by combining two hearts into one. With their new power and the help of the older DigiDestined, they managed to defeat Arukenimon and Mummymon, vanish Daemon to the Dark Ocean, and knock sense into BlackWarGreymon and Oikawa.

"Like I said before, it wasn't Ken's fault for being the Emperor," Davis explained. "He ha—something was controlling him."

"A Dark Spore…" muttered a spiked brown haired boy. Only…he was a part of Takato's group. Not a lot of people seemed to have heard, or maybe they'd just ignored him.

Finally, Davis and the gang defeated MaloMyotismon with the assistance of every DigiDestined around the world.

"'Every DigiDestined around the world'?" Takuya echoed confusedly.

"You'll have your turn in a moment, Takuya. Why don't you tell your side, Takato?" the CSO prodded.

Both boys shocked with the man knowing their names, Takato started his own story, though uncomfortably. He'd been obsessed with Digimon as a boy, having played the card game and seen the TV show—

"There was a card game and TV show?!"

"Uh, y-yeah," he stammered. He didn't say anything else about it.

One day he'd drawn Guilmon wishing for him to come alive and one day it happened. Later he'd made friends with Calumon, Henry, and Rika. They'd protected their town from Digimon called Wild Ones, ultimately saved them from Hypnos (who'd once thought Digimon were bad) and eventually fought the Devas from destroying their home. To help their Digimon, they were able to swipe cards through their D-Powers to modify their Digimon.

"DigiModify?" Izzy repeated. "That's…"

They went to the Digital World to rescue Calumon from the Devas and their master Zhuqiaomon. Along the way they'd met Ryo (who'd been stuck in the Digital World for some time) and—

"Whoa," Yolei said. "You were _stuck_ in the Digital World?"

"Yeah," Ryo answered monotonously. He threw a look at someone, then thought better and turned back to Takato, who continued.

After defeating Zhuqiaomon, letting him know that humans were good, they learned from Azulongmon that their true enemy was the D-Reaper. It ravaged the Digiworld, making its way to the Human World as well. With the bonds of their Digimon though, they were able to go to Mega and do something called Biomerge Digivolution, in which they—

"You guys can _merge_ with your Digimon?" Davis gaped.

"Only Takato, Henry, Rika, and Ryo, though," said Mako.

The D-Reaper destroyed most of Shinjuku, but through a great struggle, the Tamers won.

"We don't really go by DigiDestined, or Chosen," Takato concluded. "We call ourselves the Tamers."

"Is it—?"

"Your turn, Takuya," the Owner finished.

"Oh," he muttered. "Well." He cleared his throat.

Takuya's tale started differently than the others'. One fateful day, every kid in Shibuya received a text (with a voice) on their cell phone telling them to take the 17:45 train. In the basement of the train station, kids took some Trailmon to the Digital World. Takuya had taken the one with Tommy, JP, and Zoë on it.

"Where were Koji and Koichi?" Jeri wondered.

"Well, Koji was a loner back then," Takuya said cheekily.

"He still is," Zoë mumbled.

"And Koichi, well…" Tommy turned to the older boy, who looked shy. "I guess Takuya will get to that part."

At the Digital World, their cell phones changed into D-Tectors. They met Bokomon and Neemon, who told them of the Spirits. Instead of having 'partner Digimon', they had the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors, enabling them to Spirit Evolve, meaning—

"You can turn into Digimon?!" everyone gasped. Tagiru noticed others, however, shifting uncomfortably.

"Well, it's similar to Biomerging…" JP pointed out embarrassedly.

"But we merged with our Digimon," Henry insisted, impressed. "Not became Digimon _ourselves_."

Tagiru thought turning into a Digimon must be awesome! He already felt a huge strength surge through him every time Gumdramon Digivolved.

After staring for a while, he suddenly realized that Koji and Koichi were twins.

Anyway, each one of them (as the Warriors) represented an element. Takuya was of flame, Koji of light (after the group had finally met him), Tommy of ice, Zoë of wind, JP of thunder, and Koichi of darkness.

"Darkness?" TK said. "You're the Warrior of Darkness?"

"Yes," Koichi responded.

"Not all darkness is bad," Koji snapped, quick to defend.

"Easy, Koji," Takuya exclaimed at the same time Koichi said, "It's alright, Koji. You've got to admit…I wasn't good from the very beginning…"

"No, I'm sorry," TK apologized. "I haven't exactly had the best experience with darkness. Sometimes I'm too quick to judge on those things."

"Ah, that's okay. Koji, apologize."

"What? Takuya...!"

"…"

"…sorry 'bout that," the Warrior of Light grunted. "Are you going to continue with the story now?"

Right. They learned that their enemy was Cherubimon, a Celestial Digimon, who had once been good but had gone evil. It turned out that the one calling them on their D-Tectors had been Ophanimon, another one of the Celestial Digimon. Seraphimon was also one but he died in the fight only to turn into a Digiegg and land in front of them before their very eyes, though most Digimon were reborn in a place called the Village of Beginnings.

"Really?" Sora said thoughtfully. "So you don't call it Primary Village…"

This was where Koichi came in. Cherubimon used him and gave him the tainted Spirits of Darkness, Duskmon and Velgemon. Koji and Koichi met for the very first time in battle.

"The very first time…?" Angie repeated. "And in battle…"

"Yeah," the twins said at the same time, signaling the chapter was closed. Probably some private matters, Tagiru guessed.

They had to fight Koichi quite a few times before they saved him and managed to acquire the true Spirits of Darkness, Loweemon and JägerLoweemon. After they finally overcame Cherubimon, they tackled IceDevimon, then Dynasmon and Crusadermon, and then their last enemy, Lucemon, who got to the Real World a little before they were able to bring him down.

"Broth—Koichi risked his life for us against Lucemon," added Koji vehemently. "He nearly died in the Human World…"

"About to call him brother, were you?" Takuya asked playfully. "Why didn't you? You _are_ the younger one of the—"

"Takuya!" scolded Zoë.

"Koji…" Koichi smiled.

"Lucemon…?" Mikey murmured. "We've fought him before…" Tagiru didn't know what he was talking about. Maybe it was during his trip to the Digital World.

 _What I'd do to go to the Digital World!_ Tagiru sighed.

"We went back to our world after beating Lucemon and managed to save Koichi too," Takuya went on, "with the help of our D-Tectors and one heck of a miracle. But they turned back into our phones in the hospital."

"But it looks like they turned back again," Zoë mused. "I wonder when…" She trailed off.

"I believe it's Marcus's turn now," the Owner nodded.

"Right then," the older boy said, acting nonchalantly even though the man knew his name.

Marcus began, with another blond (Thomas) assisting him in case he 'exaggerated', particularly in his fighting abilities. DATS (Digital Accidents Tactical Squad) was an organization that dealt with Digimon incidents. Marcus had joined after partnering with Agumon. At HQ, he'd met Commander Sampson, Yoshino, Megumi, Miki, and finally Thomas. They stopped Digimon from wreaking havoc in the Real World, destroying them which turned them back into Digieggs—

"They turned back into Digieggs?" Kari reiterated. Tagiru thought he could see sadness clouding her eyes. "In the Real World?"

"Yeah," Marcus nodded.

The real action happened when they went to the Digital World to defeat Merukimon. There they met Keenan, who, they eventually learned, had grown up there—

"You grew up in the Digiworld?!" Kazu and Kenta cried. "Sweet~!"

"And I thought they were impressed with the One with the Flashing Smile." Rika rolled her eyes.

"Is that what you call me?" asked Ryo innocently, _happening_ to flash a smile. "I'm flattered."

They failed in defeating Merukimon. Their real enemy was Kurata, a man who hated Digimon and instead, ironically, created artificial Digimon that deleted real Digimon for good, collecting their data. There were also three kids who could Bio-Hybrid Digivolve, in other words, turn into Digimon themselves.

"Is that why you looked uncomfortable when we said we could Biomerge—" Takato said.

"—or turn into Digimon?" Takuya added.

"Yes," Yoshino said. "We also haven't exactly had the best experience with people who can change into Digimon."

Kurata's main goal was to awaken Belphemon, one of the Seven Demon Lords. Thankfully, they defeated Kurata and Belphemon before the demon could get any more powerful. Their final foe was the Digimon god itself, Yggdrasil, who turned out to have taken the form of—

"Your dad?" Jeri said softly. "That must have been awful."

It was. But they had to defeat him in order for both worlds to be saved. To do that, they managed to get Yggdrasil's Royal Knights on their side and from BanchouLeomon learned the Burst Mode—a power that surpassed Mega.

"A power surpassing Mega…" Izzy marveled. "Prodigious…"

Tagiru wondered what Mega was.

In the end, they defeated Yggdrasil. Marcus's father Spencer Damon was brought back to life and home at last but Marcus, not wanting to part with Agumon, went with him and the other Digimon back into the Digital World.

"More people staying in the Digital World?" Kazu said.

"But you're here now," Kenta pointed out. "When did you get back? And…how?"

"I…" Marcus trailed off. "I actually don't know."

"Is that why they don't have any records of you going to high school?" Jeremy considered. "Because you were in the Digital World?"

"Uh…I guess yeah."

"Wait a minute," Ewan interrupted. "You never said how Kristy got a Digimon."

"Oh, right," Marcus said. "Well, it's a weird story actually…a Digiegg came to our house…from the sky…and it hatched and Biyomon and Kristy just sort of became partners."

"You make falling Digieggs from the sky seem like a casual thing," Yolei muttered.

"Well, it kind of is for us…" said Tai thoughtfully. "First Parrotmon…then Armageddemon…" His group laughed lightly, probably from past memories. At Alphamon's cleared throat, everyone was silenced.

"Time to shine, Mikey," Jeremy whispered. At the CSO's nod, Mikey began.

Their adventure began one day with Angie and Jeremy when he first heard Shoutmon's call, or a DigiMelody. He was dying. Willing to save him, a voice called to him granting him a red Fusion Loader. As Mikey had taken it, Angie and Jeremy behind him, they were flung into the Digital World where Shoutmon was restored. The Digiworld was in danger from Baguramon, who was collecting Code Crowns from every Zone.

Tagiru understood the terminology after hearing the story so many times, but he still wasn't bored when Mikey elaborated for everyone. He was still excited after hearing every Legendary Hero's story.

Anyway, the main difference between their (Mikey's and co.) story and the others' story was that instead of Digivolving they used something called—

"DigiFusion?" Cody said. "With your Fusion Loader, you can fuse Digimon together into a more powerful Digimon?"

Along the way, they'd met Christopher and Nene, who didn't really work with Mikey and the others at first. In the end, they failed to collect all the Code Crowns and Baguramon threw Mikey, Angie, Jeremy, and Shoutmon back to the Human World. That was where Shoutmon first Digivolved to defeat Tactimon.

"Did he Digivolve to the Champion level or something?" Davis wondered. "Or Ultimate?"

Mikey blinked. "Champion or Ultimate levels? Well, you see, I—we've never heard of levels. As far as I know, that's as far as Shoutmon can go through Digivolution."

"Same with us," added Takuya. "We're either a Human or Beast Spirit."

"Or Unified Spirit," muttered JP almost inaudibly.

Mikey continued. He and Shoutmon were the only ones able to go back to the Digiworld and by then a period of one day in the Human World resulted in months in the Digital World. It had changed a lot (like Christopher's hair).

"Seriously?" The blond punched the speaking brunet.

"Well other than that," Mikey laughed, "Baguramon had made the Digiworld into Seven Lands, each ruled by a Death General."

Christopher finally allied with Mikey, and Nene did as well. Through each land, they fought and defeated each and every General and saved Ewan as well from AxeKnightmon. Ewan had originally been on the enemy's side, believing the Digiworld was all a game.

"A game…" Ken murmured.

As Baguramon was about to destroy them, Jeremy and Angie saved them. Their final battle was back in the Real World (again) where they beat Baguramon. It had taken the fusion of every Digimon to do it.

"Wow," Mako whispered in awe. "That must have looked awesome."

"It sure was," Mikey grinned.

"I still don't see how this ties in with all of us having met," said Miki.

"I think our story does," Ryouma whispered to Tagiru. The goggle-head just realized that he'd be the one narrating it.

"Tagiru," the Clock Shop Owner encouraged. "I think it's your turn."

For a second, Tagiru just stared at nothing. Compared to the others' stories, his would mostly sound of play. _No,_ he thought. _I can't think like that!_ He took a deep breath.

His adventures had started a year after Mikey's. By then all Tagiru had been was a basketball player with Mikey (his idol) and Ewan. That was when it had happened. There was a strange place—not the Digital World yet very close to the Human World—which mirrored their world almost exactly and where Digimon caused trouble sometimes.

That place was known as DigiQuartz. There, he'd met Gumdramon after receiving a crimson Fusion Loader from the Clock Shop Owner. There was something going on called the Digimon Hunt where Hunters like himself hunted for Digimon.

"You hunted for Digimon?" Mimi said in shock. "You mean you—?"

"Didn't kill," Mikey backed up. "Didn't kill. Just defeated."

"And after that, they became your own Digimon and followed orders from you," Tagiru confirmed hastily.

One team of Hunters he'd encountered was Ryouma's team, made up of him, Ren, and Airu. Ryouma hunted strong Digimon, Ren hunted rare ones, and Airu hunted cute ones.

There were other Hunters as well, like Kiichi and Mizuki, who'd helped him at times, as well as Ewan and Mikey supporting Tagiru. With a pang, he realized Kiichi and Mizuki had the possibility of not remembering Digimon. But that wasn't what had stopped him from speaking.

 _Is that it?_ he thought. _All I did was hunt? I barely did anything unlike everyone else._

No, he told himself.

The significance of his group's adventure, he realized, was the end.

It was what had brought them—Tagiru swept his eyes across every kid in the room—together.

 _All_ of them.

Tagiru fast-forwarded. So he hunted Digimon, blah blah blah Gumdramon Digivolved to Arresterdramon (Angie and Jeremy eventually received Fusion Loaders) and…their final enemy was Quartzmon, who wanted to fuse the Human World and DigiQuartz together. (He actually succeeded in that but it wasn't over yet.) Quartzmon was way more powerful than anything they'd ever faced before, and on top of that apparently there were Digimon causing mayhem all over the world too.

The only real way to defeat him was by calling on the Seven Legendary Heroes. To steady the pandemonium going on around the world, the Heroes' teammates were summoned as well.

"Wait a minute," Tai whispered. Something flicked through his eyes. " _Who_ were the Legendary Heroes?"

Tagiru didn't feel it was his place to answer. Alphamon beckoned for the Clock Shop Owner.

"I was the one who summoned the Legendary Heroes with my partner Clockmon," the CSO explained. "The Seven Legendary Heroes are the ones who led their groups to battle—and victory—to save their worlds."

"To save their universes," Tagiru corrected surprisingly.

"And their teammates…" Cody echoed. "It's us…isn't it?" For the first time, no one looked doubtful or surprised. Tagiru found himself unsurprised by the fact that everyone was unsurprised. Maybe at the back of their minds—maybe they remembered. Maybe…

"This is not the first time traveling between universes has happened," said the CSO. His gaze rested on one particular boy.

"Ryo?" the Tamers blurted.

Ryo was silent, staring back at the CSO.

"Well, I suppose that story will be saved for later," the CSO decided. "For now, I think some Digimon want to have their say now."

"Yes," a biped lion responded.

"Leomon…" Jeri murmured.

"Did something happen to him or something?" Airu muttered.

"When we were in the Digital World, Leomon died," Takato admitted somberly. "We thought we'd never see him again."

"But…he should've turned into a Digiegg in the Digital World," said Kari. "Didn't he?"

"I know that for you guys, Digimon would, but the Digital World we know is a lot harsher. When Digimon die, their data either disperses or is absorbed by other Digimon."

"That…" Takuya began, unsure of what to say. "…sounds harsh…" he said softly.

"But I was revived," Leomon said. "By the mercy of the Sovereigns."

"The Sovereigns?" everyone rebounded.

"But I…" Impmon said hesitantly. "I absorbed your data…"

"Yes, but there was a time when some of my data was exuded. Do you remember?" He asked the question softly.

"Do I…remember…?"

"When we were fighting the D-Reaper and you came to save me as Beelzemon, Impmon," Jeri recalled quietly. "You let out a 'Fist of the Beast King' attack." The only thing that made Tagiru perk up was the name 'Beelzemon'…but then he realized it wasn't the same one who was Mikey's friend.

"Yes," Leomon concurred. "That attack let out my data. The rest of it was the Sovereigns' doing, however they managed to give me a second life."

"The Sovereigns turned you into a Digiegg," Alphamon said. "Though I believe the enemy took you before you could reunite with your partner. There was one other Digiegg as well."

"It was me," Psychemon spoke up. "I was also revived, though it was more 'purified' from the control of Quartzmon. And not from the Sovereigns, but the Legendary Digimon."

"The Legendary Digimon?" Mikey's group gasped.

"Psychemon…" Ryouma whispered.

"And that leads us to what and why we're all here," the Clock Shop Owner stated. "And why I'm here as well."

"Indeed," agreed Alphamon. "It is how you are all connected, what you must do, and the enemy you are destined to defeat."

* * *

 **Undisclosed Location, Unknown Time**

He pulled his hat down further, strolling down the tranquil path, acting inconspicuous.

It was quite a miracle, really. The children had survived.

It didn't matter, though. Things were still going according to plan. He smiled.

It would soon be time to reveal himself. What a shock some of them would have, he thought amusedly, picturing a certain blond.

 _Soon, not yet,_ he reminded himself. He would have to stay unknown for now, and do what he had come to do.

Stepping into the shrubbery, hidden from anyone strolling down the path, he swiftly pulled out a lighter.

After clicking it a few times, it finally sparked.

It was time to test the Chosen.

* * *

 _The Chosen have now been shed some light on the matter at hand, but the revelations have only just started. It looks like the Legendary Warriors are discovering some new powers as well. But who is watching them all, and what does he plan on doing? Meanwhile, what's going on in the Digital World as they speak? We'll find out next time, with the meeting yet to continue!_

* * *

 **Chapter Notes:**

1\. Death/Darkness General: I personally think Death General sounds cooler, and I understand the dub changed the name to make it more suitable for younger audiences…but still. I may switch the two, I may not.

~X~

 _I'm sorry! I wanted to touch on the Ryo/Ken stuff more but I didn't want it to end up too long. That stuff will come in the next chapter(s) when/if it fits in. The reason every group's adventure summary is kind of long is because I wanted to show some interaction between everybody, showing the differences between each universe. Anyway, FSE's (final summative evaluations) and exams are coming up at the end of this month to the beginning of February, so updates aren't going to be fast. Chapter 12 didn't even come that fast… Well, don't forget to review before you go!  
_


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